Cat Whispers
by Dark Flamingo
Summary: Death is final. No one can return from it with a smile. But what if one spirit was tacked to a cat? And what if something wants it, and all close to it, dead and gone? Rated for mild violence and such COMPLETED
1. Meetings

Hello there! I'm finally back with something at least have-presentable. I am starting a series--willingly even. No, I have not lost the last bit of sanity I have been clinging to... I just got bored.

The idea for this came to me, like all good ideas do, just before I fell asleep. I'm unsure about the title, any suggestions for one will be greatly appreciated. Also, constructive critisism, ideas, genre suggestions, comments and reviews in general are very appreciated, I'll even give you a lollipop!

Also, I apologize in advance for the lack of knowledge of how the people adress each other, if someone could tell me I'd be so happy!

**Disclaimer**: Take a wild guess.

* * *

Rain pelted down on the streets, shrouded in a thick fog, few people dared to go out in such weather. 

Down a raggedy dirty street, in a thin alleyway clogged with trash, sat a certain blonde-haired rich boy.

Leaning back against the gritty wall, face tilted slightly upwards to feel the few drops of rain that leaked through the overlapping roof shingles.

His fists were clenched, either in aggravation or pain, or maybe even both.

His clear blue eyes were lightly closed and his clothing was soaked through, his blonde hair hung in wet clumps.

As the rain came harder and faster, pounding the pavement relentlessly Ryou groaned, squeezing his eyes tight.

"Nya?" A soft something landed on his clenched fists, opening his eyes slowly, he turned his head to stare down at it.

A small, whitish grey kitten with brown spots stared up at him with bright green eyes, dull with hunger.

"What is it?" He asked, a small speck of irritation in his slow, tired voice.

"Nya?" The kitten question again.

"…No. I'm fine," Ryou sighed, turning his face back up to the sky, closing them again.

There was a pause then something light landed with a slightly audible 'thump' on his lap.

This time his eyes snapped open immediately, his head whipped down to glare at the kitten.

It had curled up into a ball and was purring softly.

"What do you want?" Ryou growled.

The kitten did not reply, but blink one sleepy eye at him before resettling itself on his lap.

He sighed; giving in, and placed one hand on the kitten, in a small attempt to keep it warm, and thaw his freezing fingers.

Closing his eyes for a third time he felt much better, it was like a blanket of calmness had settled around his shoulders.

His head finally clear, he leaned back against the wall and slowly slipped into a light sleep.

* * *

"Where the hell is he!" Ichigo yelled impatiently, "We should've opened three hours ago! THREE HOURS!" 

The strawberry was storming about the café, trying her best to engage her friends in her tantrum.

Just as Lettuce had finished cleaning up a plate and had moved on to attempting to calm her friend the doors to the café swung open.

What little conversation there had been between the five girls stopped immediately in silent shock.

Stumbling through the doorway, soaked to the bone, light blue eyes faded and distant, blonde hair grimy and soaked, stood Ryou.

Slowly he lifted his head to blink sleepily at the mews, who stared back.

"What? What happened…?" Lettuce murmured, in shock, she had never seen Ryou looking so…sick.

Without answering her question Ryou stumbled towards the stairs, which he climbed shakily, his hand gripping the railing white from the tension in his grasp.

"What's wrong with Ryou na no da?" Pudding asked curiously.

She got no answers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The blonde laid back on his bed, wearing clean dry clothes he had just put on he felt better.

He hadn't expected it to start raining so hard when he had gone out, maybe he should start checking the weather reports.

With a sleepy sigh he rolled onto his side and drifted off into a deep sleep.

He didn't even wake when a certain redhead stomped into his bedroom, demanding what was wrong.

* * *

The next morning Ryou was up early and walking through the near-empty streets, looking for a newspaper stand. 

This being a first for him, he obviously had no idea where to look so he simply wondered mindlessly through town, enjoying the silence.

It was a small mystery why Ryou was out to buy a newspaper, but after spending three hours out in the rain as his energy washed away…

He really didn't want that to happen again.

So that found him up at seven, wandering through the chilly, empty streets, searching for somewhere to buy a newspaper.

After about half an hour and the city was waking up he found a small stand and quickly bought a Saturday paper and ripped it apart to find the weather report.

To his joy it was supposed to be sunny and warm.

With a sigh of relief, he dumped the paper in the garbage and walked back to the café.

Ryou paused several feet away from the doorway; sitting on the threshold was the grey and brown kitten from the day before.

"Nya?" It questioned, cocking its head to one side.

"What do you want?" He asked, looking down into its bright green eyes.

The cat wound its' way around his leg, purring softly, then looked up and him and meowed.

Ignoring the cat Ryou untangled himself from the animal and walked inside.

"Shirogane! You're late again!" Ichigo yelled immediately, suddenly appearing in front of him.

His heart sped up slightly but his voice remained impassionate as he asked:

"What's your point?" The girl's face went pinkish with rising anger as her brown eyes lit up with matching fury.

"Ooh! Hello Kitty-Chan!" Pudding exclaimed happily, bending down to greet the kitten behind the blonde, "Hee!" She grinned and looked up, "She's adorable!"

"Oh! How sweet!" Ichigo was snapped out of her anger and crouched to pet the cat as well.

The kitten blinked its' calm green eyes at the two girls and then stood and wound itself around Ryou's legs again.

"Nya?" She pleaded softly, he stared down at its' dim eyes.

"No," He said bluntly, uncaringly.

"Hey!" Ichigo screamed, jumping to her feet, anger stamped to her face once more.

"You can't just refuse to feed a poor starving cat like that!" She yelled

"I just did," Ryou told her pointedly.

"That's not the point!" The strawberry bellowed back, "It could die without food and— AND ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING!" She screeched as Ryou walked past her into the kitchen.

He opened a cupboard and pulled out a can of cat food. Why Keiichiro kept it, he didn't know. Maybe as a joke or to mock Ichigo with if she ever came to the café as a cat again.

Ryou didn't know. Personally, he didn't want to find out.

Opening it he placed the can on the floor of the kitchen and as the kitten pounced on it he looked up at Ichigo.

"Happy now?" He asked then headed upstairs.

As he sat down at his laptop something warm curled up on his cold feet.

Ryou glared down at the softly purring kitten, then, deciding that as long as it kept his feet warm he really didn't care, and turned back to the computer screen.

* * *

**Okay, so how was that? I know it was a bit shaky, but all my beginings are, and I hope to improve on it... Any suggestions are much appreciated! So please review, or I'll be sad and lonely...**


	2. Wake Up Calls

Oh my god. o.o; wow. Within an hour of posting the first chapter I got three reviews. Holy crap. ((blinks)) Thanks to everyone who reviewed! With your wonderus support I found time in my busy sheduel (consisting of doing nothing, eating, watching the occasional TV show and then scrambling to do homework at last second) to upload the next chappie!

- Aren't you proud of me? I brainstormed out the story. Then brainstormed each chapter one by one. Then I proof-read each chapter until my eyeballs popped out. I think school's getting to me... Anyways, read and review please:)

* * *

Sunlight peeked through the window, burning the inside of his eyelids, calling him from the depths of sleep. 

Blinking groggily in the early morning light he rolled onto his stomach and was face-to-face with a pair of bright green eyes.

Now, being half asleep, and not realizing who it was Ryou fell with a "gyah!" from his bed and ended up in a tangled pile of bed sheets on the floor.

"Mew?" The kitten asked, placing her cool, wet nose on his own.

The blonde tried to retain some of his dignity by glaring at the cat, as he struggled to free himself from the sheets.

"Mew?" The kitten asked again. Fuming a little Ryou managed to free himself from the bed sheets then stumbled into the bathroom.

Standing under hot water helped to clear his head and wake him up.

After half an hour he stepped out of the shower to see the grey kitten sitting on the mat, blinking wide green eyes at him.

He felt awkward under that unwavering gaze, hastily he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked past the kitten into his bedroom.

The cat followed him and jumped onto his bed to watch him dress.

Yes, poor Ryou felt very awkward.

Trying to ignore the kitten, he trotted downstairs and outside, into the bright, early morning light.

After walking for five minutes in the direction of the newspaper stand he realized that the kitten was following him.

Stopping suddenly he glared down at the animal, who, confused by his sudden halt, looked up at him.

"Don't think that you'll get a meal out of this," He growled, she blinked up at him curiously.

With a grunt Ryou continued on his way, the small cat happily following after him.

To the cat's obvious joy and Ryou's just as obvious irritation, after picking up a paper Ryou went out and bought three cans of cat food for the kitten, who ate one up happily.

Deciding it was too early to return to the café and satisfied that the weather report predicted that there was no rain that day again, he searched for something to eat.

Now, after growing up with Keiichiro for the majority of his life, he knew what was good food, and he also knew, from a logical point of view, that fast food was incredibly unhealthy.

But he didn't really care right then. So, after buying a burger and fries for a strange breakfast, he sat outside on the curb and ate his food.

The kitten, who had waited for him while he was inside, was sniffing his fries curiously, and even licked one or two when he wasn't looking.

Around ten he ambled back towards the café, and made his way through the crowds that tend to form on a Sunday morning.

After several people had tripped or stepped on the kitten and it had lost sight of him and meowed loudly more than three times Ryou lost his patience.

Sighing he plucked her up, surprised for a moment how incredibly light the kitten was, and placed it on his shoulder.

Ignoring the strange looks he got from older people, and the soft looks from girls he continued on his way.

* * *

"Nya?" 

Ryou jumped and toppled out of bed, this time with a loud 'bang'.

Frustrated blue eyes met with curious green eyes, and held.

"Fine! I'll feed you!" Ryou groaned loudly and stomped down into the kitchen.

After watching the cat eat her food for ten minutes he headed upstairs, firmly closing the door before getting dressed.

Neither one noticed it right then, but that day Ryou finally accepted the presence of the kitten, at least a little.

* * *

So...How was that? I know it's short and like nothing happened in it... But if I've review something of your's then you might know that I'm a slug in the world of writing... yeah. Umm, review, and I'll give you a muffin... 


	3. A Position In Life

Hello! ((waves)). After posting the last chapter immediately two reviews flew at me within minutes. Though I bashed my head on my desk when I ducked for cover under it, I'm still so happy! You guys rock my socks! XD Anyways, now I'm under a lot of pressure to not dissapoint you guys!

Therefore, I'm asking for your suggestions for this story. It's not that I don't know which direction to point it in, it's just I want to know what you expect, or want, to happen. (I'm totally open to Mary-Sues by the way)

Anyways, please read and review!

**Disclaimer**: Yeah. If you see that word in bold there? Yeah that means I don't own it...

* * *

"Nya," One bleary blue eye opened and blinked at the small kitten staring curiously up at him. 

"Hnn…" He mumbled and rolled over, trying to go back to sleep.

It had been almost a week since the cat had come to live with him, so no longer did its' presence in his bedroom in the morning shock him to awareness.

Though the kitten didn't sleep in his room, or the building at that, during the night, every morning she woke him at the same time, never off by even a minute.

"Nya!" She demanded louder, placing her paws on the edge of his mattress, picking out a few threads of the cover with her claws.

"Hnn…" Ryou muttered again, slouching lower in his blankets.

"Meow!" The kitten screamed at him, butting him in the back with her head.

"Fine!" Ryou almost shouted, rolling out of bed, and got in the shower.

But the kitten wouldn't wait for half an hour today, she pushed the door open and sat on the mat outside the tub.

"Nya!" She demanded impatiently, nervously gnawing the mat with her claws.

Ryou sighed, today she was being incredibly edgy; maybe it was because Keiichiro had bathed it the day before, and her coat now shone a pure, snowy white.

Or because of the mew's constant fawning.

* * *

"Aww, kitty-Chan is back again today!" Pudding exclaimed happily as Ryou walked slowly down the stairs, the curious kitten right behind. 

"Don't tell me your keeping it," Mint commented, "I didn't figure you for one to take in strays,"

Ryou gave her a blank stare, refusing to comment.

"So what's her name?" Lettuce asked earnestly, a smile gracing her lips.

"She doesn't have one," Ryou replied flatly.

"What? Well then we'll just have to name it then!" Ichigo said enthusiastically.

"I know! I know! How about Hitomi?" Pudding asked just as excited, "Because of her beautiful eyes!"

"Yes! That's perfect! What do you think kitty?" Ichigo asked, kneeling down to the cat's eyes level, "Do you like the name Hitomi?"

Ryou looked down at the kitten, she twitched her tail thoughtfully then looked up at the blonde.

"Mew?" She asked curiously.

"Yes," He replied simply, "Or else they'll never leave me alone,"

"Shirogane, why are you talking to the cat?" Ichigo asked as if he were being stupid.

Ryou pointedly ignored the strawberry, and focused on the kitten at his feet.

"Nya," The cat sounded almost as if she were sighing.

"She says fine," Ryou told the two girls crouching by the cat, and then he set off to find a can of cat food in the kitchen.

"Can Ryou talk to cats?" Pudding asked Zakuro curiously, the purple girl shrugged.

"Who knows," Zakuro said in reply.

"Shirogane, you can't just feed it so little!" Ichigo exclaimed, watching him open the small can of cat food, "That's it! We're feeding it!"

She marched into the kitchen, Lettuce on one arm, Pudding following curiously and Mint bringing up the rear along with Zakuro, the last two just going to make sure Pudding didn't poison the kitten.

As the mews pilled a bowl full of food Ryou and the newly named Hitomi watched dully.

Then a dish filled with fish, cat food, tuna, and a cherry on top landed on the floor in front of the kitten.

Hungrily Hitomi pounced on it greedily, as Pudding and Lettuce petted her lovingly.

"You know, I'm the one who's going to have to live with a spoiled cat," Ryou told Ichigo.

"Yup," She replied cheerfully, grinned mischievously.

* * *

Ah well, Hitomi hadn't been acting spoiled for the past couple of days, in fact she hadn't changed at all, still calm and curious. 

"Meow!" The kitten demanded again from outside the shower.

"I'm coming!" Ryou snapped through the curtain, rinsing suds from his blonde hair he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"But you're going to have to wait while I dress," he inform the kitten, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Nya," It mewed, and trotted out of the bathroom, jumping on his bed.

To his relief, the kitten was silent as he dressed, following his movements with wide, green eyes. Feeling her eyes on him as he dressed did give him the chills, but he ignored it.

"So what do you want?" He sighed, walking down into the café.

"Nya!" Hitomi urged, trotting to the door leading to the basement, strange, she had never been down there before.

Curious, Ryou opened the door and Hitomi bounded down the steps, calling for him from the darkness.

Even more curious he walked down after her, the kitten was seated at one of the computers, tail lashing back and forth.

He peered over the chair at the screen. It was a map of Tokyo, a small blip on the screen flashed on and off around the forest areas on the eastern side.

Strange, Hitomi must've picked up the importance of such things from him or Keiichiro.

Before he could blink, or even trace or define what it was, the blip disappeared.

He waited for a few seconds, but it didn't re-appear. Ryou shrugged, figuring it was Kish; he liked to pop in and out of dimensions.

"Come on, it's nothing," He called to Hitomi, climbing back up the stairs.

She hesitated, staring intently at the screen, tail twitching nervously, and then she followed the blonde up the steps.

If she had stayed for a few more seconds she would've seen the blip re-appear on the screen.

But she didn't, so they would never know what it was, prowling around the outskirts of the city.

* * *

"Mew?" 

"No, I don't hate fish,"

"Mew?"

"Because Ichigo would either attack me and steal it, or mock me,"

"Nya,"

"No," Ryou sighed, this conversation had been going on for a while now, though he was the only one who could actually understand the other half.

"Ryou?" Lettuce asked shyly from the doorway to the kitchen, "Can you understand everything Hitomi says?"

He gave Lettuce a blank stare, causing colour to rise to her cheeks.

"Not everything, just as much as she wants me to, and sometimes it isn't clear exactly what she's saying," He replied simply.

"Oh… Okay…" Lettuce stuttered, looking very confused.

"Cat's are mysterious creatures," Ryou mused aloud, "They only let you know what they want you to know, and only reveal what they want. They are secretive, and don't like letting everyone know everything…"

His blue eyes went distant for a moment as he gaze down at Hitomi, washing her paws off at his feet.

"They like the solitude of no one being there, but long for the company of others…"

His voice faded away and, feeling a little awkward he lifted the kitten to his shoulder, as was his habit now, and left the kitchen with a nod in Lettuce's direction.

The girl blinked. Ryou spoke of cats with such…passion, was that the word? It was like, like, he had discovered every bit of their nature…

And why did it seem like Ryou and cats had so much in common?

She smiled a watery smile, for some reason, she felt like Ryou had opened up to her more than he thought he had.

* * *

So how was that? I know like nothing happened but some fluff. And the transition to the flashback was a little hazy... But hey! I'm definitely not perfect. 

And yet again: nothing will happen until about the fifth chapter, but I'm not sure about that. I need to know what you want to happen, so I know if I'm on track. Thanks! Leave a review please! (I'll give you another muffin!)


	4. Things Never Forgotten

Yo! ((saluts)) Thanks so much for the reviews! You guys rock! Anyways, yet again, what do you want to happen in this story? Ideas, comments, predictions are all welcome, they let me know what to write, without them I'll surely have a spaz-attack from the stress of writing the wrong thing.

So...yeah. Please do that, please! I'll give you a cookie _AND_ a muffin _**AND**_ a cupcake! If you do!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own TMM, I'm still shearching for the rights on the internet.

* * *

_There was fire everywhere, the inferno licked up the building greedily, flames leaping from the building to eat up the trees that stood nearby._

_His blue eyes wide he watched in horror as his home burned to the ground._

_The acid smell of burning flesh burned in his nose and smoke tore at his throat._

_Heat burned his eyes, drying them out. The flames shot across the yard, flying in his direction._

_He couldn't move, he was frozen in fear, in disbelief. How could so many memories, so many precious memories, be gone so fast?_

_As the fire streaked towards him, hungrily eating up the dry October grass, tears streamed freely down his face._

_Then, he could see her. Face tight with pain, her eyes filled with fear unable to describe, the flames ate up her body, erasing her existence from the surface of the earth._

_Fire engulfed him, separating him from his mother; she was screaming his name, calling for help._

_He couldn't reach her, the fire a wall he couldn't pierce, he wavered, fear making his insides go cold._

_Then he plunged through the wall, searing pain shattered his bones, dissolved his flesh. He could feel himself dying._

_She was so close, so very close, just…a little…farther…_

_Suddenly everything was black. He floated in black nothingness._

_Then she appeared, her back turned away from him._

"_Mother! Mother I'm here! I can help!" He called desperately, tears streaming down his cheeks._

_He could see her shoulders shaking; her hands covered her face, catching her tears._

_At his voice she looked up, and turned around. Her face was grayish, clinging to her bones; burned and charred and beginning to peel off. Her eyeballs seemed to bulge out at him._

_She screamed, a high-pitched wailing sound, it had the same effect as nails on a chalkboard._

_She screeched on and on, her voice burning at his ears. So badly did he want to cover his ears, to block out her voice._

_But he couldn't. That would prove that he was afraid. Afraid of what she had become and what he would one day become himself._

_He feared death._

* * *

With a strangled yell Ryou sat up in bed. He ran his fingers through his strands of blonde hair. 

His skin was soaked in sweat, though his skin felt freezing cold.

Fear laced itself around and around him, settling down on him as a cold blanket, seeping through to his bones.

"Mew?" He jumped, his nails digging into his palms.

Hitomi looked up at him with innocent curiosity, concern hidden deep inside those jade eyes.

"I...I'm… I…" He croaked, trying to speak, but nothing would come out. No voice, he had lost it in that black void of nothingness…

"Nya," Hitomi purred softly, brushing her cheek against his own, she curled up next to him, still purring softly, the sound urging him to go back to sleep.

Slowly Ryou lay back down, rolled over and curled his fingers around the kitten's white fur.

He didn't really notice it right then, still slightly drugged from sleep, but Hitomi had somehow knew that she was needed, that Ryou needed someone nearby.

He didn't realize it then, but they created a special connection that night. A bond between the two. A bond that would not break so easily.

* * *

Yeah, cheesy ending but I needed _something_ anyways, ideas comments predictions, all are very needed and apreciated. The next update will take longer without them, sorry. But I'm kind of stuck on what to do when the 'plot thickens'... Yeah, muffins all around. 


	5. Bath Time!

Hi! ((waves)) Well, I meant to update earlier today, but you know, doing nothing is really time consuming. WOOT! TWENTY-FIVE REVIEWS!! ((prances aorund merrily)) Never would I have dreamed that 25 reviews would come my way after only four chapters! You guys are **_so_** awesome! I love you all!!!!

Okay, I'll get to the point. I'm nervous, not really about how hard writing this eries might be, but of mainly this chapter. The story turning a corner and I don't know how all you faithful readers (and most especially reviewers) will responde. Oh well, what's life without risks?

I give all the credit for the idea of this chapter (and the rest of the story really) to SamKo, and a big thanks as well, for giving me permission to use it!

**Disclaimer**: Do I look like I own TMM? ...Actually you can't see me so nevermind...

Leave a review please (muffins and cookies all around) !

* * *

Rain poured down in sheets, drenching the city in icy water. 

It was only five o'clock in the morning, but already Ryou was awake, dreading the day to come.

As he crouched by the windowsill, arms folded on the sill, chin rested on them, his blue eyes searched the streets.

A few cars would splash by, and fewer still people would rush by, their umbrella's clutched in tight, cold fists.

He sighed, he felt exhausted. But he couldn't get himself to sleep. His brain buzzed with energy but his weary body refused to respond.

He hated that feeling. He hated rain, because it gave him that feeling. He just hated his life in general right then.

Slowly his mind wandered to the white kitten.

It had been almost a week since he had woken from that terrifying nightmare that still sent chills down his spine, drenched in a cold sweat.

But ever since that night Hitomi would crawl into his bed and sleep right next to him. After a few unsuccessful tries to get rid of her, he had given up.

A gentle wave of calm warm spread over his body and slowly the drumming of the rain and his weariness caused him to fall into a light sleep.

* * *

Dull sunlight on his face woke him, blinking rapidly in the sudden light Ryou lifted his chin lightly to look out the window. 

The sun shone down on streets littered with puddles, people walked down the streets chatting lightly and cars drove by.

Blue eyes blinked down at the kitten on his lap, curled up and dozing.

Hitomi. Was covered in mud.

Half of Ryou was covered in mud.

The blonde sighed, gazing down at the curled up cat on his lap.

"You," Ryou told the kitten simply, "Are getting a bath,"

* * *

Half an hour later found Ryou bent over the tub, filling it with hot water, while Hitomi watched him curiously. 

"Nya?"

"Yes. You're getting a bath," Ryou told the cat flatly.

Turning off the water he lifted Hitomi up, and slowly eased her into the hot water.

He could feel her muscles tense up, but she didn't scratch him or struggle at all.

He picked up the bottle of cat shampoo Keiichiro had around for some reason, and applied some to the cats' soggy fur.

Hitomi sniffed the air experimentally, smelling the strange fake strawberry scent.

As Ryou wound his fingers through the cats' steadily growing softer fur, she purred softly.

He could feel her skin growing gradually warmer and warmer. He smiled; she must've been really cold, at last she was warming up.

As he re-applied a small puddle of shampoo to her fur there was a small burst of light.

Ryou blinked, green eyes blinked back. Except this time, sitting in his tub was a very real, very naked girl waist deep in water.

Ryou blinked, a pinkish tinge coming to his cheeks.

"Ryou? Ryou… Oh there you are, have you had breakfast?" Keiichiro appeared in the doorway behind him.

The blonde whipped around, slightly frightened of how the older man would react to finding Ryou with an undressed girl in their tub.

"Oh, I see it's your turn to bathe Hitomi, good luck with that. When I tried she struggled so hard I lost some of my skin to her!" Keiichiro winked cheerfully at him then disappeared.

Ryou blinked dumbly then turned around. Sitting in his tub was the same soggy white kitten as before.

"Mew?" She asked curiously.

That was the second time in his life, that Ryou Shirogane almost had a heart attack.

* * *

"Nya!" The cat complained loudly as Ryou plucked out a strand of her yet again pure white fur. 

He had managed to finish bathing the kitten, though he rushed through it, edgy and nervous through out.

Ignoring Hitomi's protests he scanned the hair and turned to the computer screen. After running through pages and pages of DNA scans he found…nothing?

Frustrated he ran through all of the DNA tests twice more and found nothing but cat DNA.

There was no trace of a humans'. What was going on?

Frustrated he turned to face the kitten, watching him curiously from the cement floor.

"What happened back there?" He demanded meaningfully.

Green eyes blinked back at determined blue ones.

"Nya,"

He got nothing out of her answer, no comment and no demand for breakfast. Just the sound cats made.

"Don't make me ask again," He told her, stern slipping from his words slightly, making his sentence sound less of a demand.

"Nya," She mewed back, emerald eyes blinking in confusion, "Nya" She repeated louder, tail twitching in irritation, "Nya!" She repeated one last time.

Blue eyes blinked.

"I can't understand you," He said, the words so simple, their weight so heavy.

* * *

((Nervous grin)) How was that? Still, the whole height of this story is a couple chapters away. What can I say? In the magical world of writing I'm a slug, go ahead, sue me!...On second thought, please don't. I get my box of chocolate to sell on friday and I want to buy as much for myself as possible! D Review please!! 


	6. Silence

Hello, yeah, in case you got confused, the story line will straighten out in the net few chapters. It just is kind of tangled right now... Thanks to all who reviewed! To my surprise, I got only one confused person who might've not liked that chapter, I expected more...

Oh! Check out my profile often, honestly, it's ever-changing, expecially the quotes, I update those at least once a week, so...yeah. Review please! WOOT! THIRTY REVIEWS! 30! YAY! XD

And I recenlty (like two days ago) discovered the wonderful drink of coffee. And this chapter was written under the influence of two doses of coffee, so if you end up wondering: 'Huh?' Then don't worry, unpon re-reading that's exactly what I said.

**Disclaimer**: Uh-huh, what do you think?

* * *

It didn't really hit Ryou until after three days, when he turned to Hitomi to ask her if she wanted tuna flavored cat food or chicken. 

"Mew?"

The sound was empty. No meaning behind it, no definition, no unheard words…Nothing.

It was then that loneliness hit him. He would walk out to find the newspaper stand, straining to hear the words from Hitomi, waiting for some comment to start a small conversation.

None came.

Waking up that morning had been hard as well; as 'nya' had no meaning he slept in, not hearing Hitomi's wake-up call.

Ryou's world suddenly seemed a quieter, emptier place, with no one to talk to, no one to make sure he got up every morning, didn't shower over half an hour, or to call for praise during the day.

At least there was still a warm presence at his side at night, but it wasn't the same. No longer did spending time with the cat make him scramble to find that word that held fast to the tip of his tongue.

He had almost forgotten the 'incident' in the bathtub. He had decided not to mention it to Keiichiro; unsure of what he'd tell him anyways: 'Yeah, my cat turns into a naked chick every once and a while, but we can still keep it, right?' Not exactly a good thing to say.

Ryou spent his hours running through pages of DNA scans over and over not really reading the seemingly endless mass of words scrolling down the page.

There was one event to occupy his mind for around half an hour maybe on the fourth day.

Bashing apart downtown Tokyo was a pumpkin chimera. Well, at least they were in season, right?

Watching the mew's fight on a computer screen did mess with his nerves for a while, others risking their lives because of his selfish desires…

It did make him irritable, at the least.

That night he crawled into bed, a small cat jumping to his side, purring softly. He sighed and rolled over, suddenly very tired.

There was tuna falling form the sky. In the shape of large, grinning pumpkins. Ichigo pranced around as a cat, little Christmas bows attached to her velvet black tail.

Pai was sitting upside-down in a corner reading a perverted book with the most serious expression on his face.

"Nya!" Ichigo called, to him, running after a bright yellow ball, "Nya, nya!" She called over her shoulder.

"I can't understand you!" Ryou called after her desperately, wanting to join in the game.

"Then become a cat stupid," Kish spat, a crooked witch's hat on his head, splatters of tuna covering him to the point where Ryou could barely recognize him.

The seven-year-old Ryou hit himself over the head with his palm, "D'oh!" He sighed.

Kish started to at the tuna off his arms.

Blue eyes blinked at the white, blank wall.

"_Weird,"_ He thought, that had to be the most warped dream he had ever had.

He then noticed he was a grey kitten. He blinked; he must've done that subconsciously in his dream.

His stomach went cold, it was impossible to measure the length of time between dreaming and waking, what if it had been over ten minutes already?

He rolled over; preparing to make the change back to human when emerald eyes stopped him.

"Huh?" Hitomi mewed, a wave of relief washed over his body, he could understand her!

Well, duh. He was a cat, but maybe when he was a human again he could still.

Oh yeah. Might be a good time to change back…

In a blast of light he was back to himself, stretching out the cramps that liked to form when he was a cat he glance over a Hitomi.

"Mew?" He was flooded with relief; he could understand her.

"I'll explain it in the morning, okay?" He told her, curling back to sleep.

There was about a five-minute pause.

"Nya," Hitomi said simply, nudging him in the back.

The blonde groaned and rolled over, glancing at his clock he realized it was indeed morning.

"Damn…" He muttered, lurching out of bed, shedding Hitomi from the bed, and stomped into the shower, feeling much better than before despite his weariness.

* * *

So how was that? I know it seems like everything's slowing down again but everything is relative. Review please:)  



	7. The Small Things

Eh heh heh... Well... After like three days of only two reviews suddenly everything fell on me. Sorry for the wait, but I'm being sucked into Chobits, and my drawing muse has been active (for the first time in months) so I've been doing that.

It's not that I don't want to keep writing this story, no way! I've already written up to chapter thirteen on my word document thing...No worries there, but if I don't get at least four reviews for each chapter then updates will be slow and may come to a halt. But since so many people have been reviewing, I don't think I have to worry! x

**Disclaimer**: ...If I owned this series I wouldn't have let 4kids sabatoge it. But since they did that, then it's obvious I don't won TMM.

* * *

"So you get it now?" Ryou sighed, running his fingers through his blonde hair.

"Nya," Hitomi twitched her tail and blinked her jade green eyes.

The blonde rubbed his temples, "I've gone through this a couple times, do you at least get the basics?"

"Nya," Hitomi nodded her head slightly, a skill she had picked up from him, and the other humans she had met.

"Good," Ryou ate a piece of his breakfast sausage, feeding the white kitten a piece of his egg, and Hitomi swallowed it up quickly.

"You guys like the breakfast?" Keiichiro asked from the kitchen where he was cleaning up the dishes. The older man had grown used to the presence of the kitten, more as a person than as a pet.

How strangely bang on he was.

"Yeah," Ryou called back, accompanied by a softer 'nya!' that Hitomi had made.

The blonde dumped his plate into the sink and trotted outside, heading off towards that all familiar newspaper stand.

He grumbled as he skimmed through the weather section, the forecast called for cloudy skies and a thirty percent chance of rain.

He headed back, Hitomi eagerly trotting at his heels, pausing every once and a while to sniff a spot on the pavement or to greet a dog being walked by its' owner.

That was something slightly different about the kitten, she didn't mind dogs and dogs didn't mind her.

When the pair reached the café again Lettuce and Pudding were already starting to set up, Keiichiro busily baking in the back.

Eager to avoid the swarm of Sunday morning people Ryou trotted upstairs, Hitomi a little behind, having stopped to be petted by the two mews.

Ryou sat at his laptop and turned to face the bed. Five seconds later a slightly drowsy Hitomi pounced up on it, curling her tail around her pink nose she yawned.

"Hitomi," Ryou started, the kitten looked up, "What happened four days ago?"

"Nya,"

"Yes I know that, but can you explain why?" Ryou asked with a sigh.

"Mew?" Jade eyes blinked curiously, white tail waving in the air.

"I explained myself, so now's it's your turn," Ryou told her blandly.

"…Nya," The kitten replied after a pause, emerald eyes held his blue ones steadily.

"You don't?" Hitomi shook her head slowly and stiffly, still getting use to the trick.

Ryou sighed, rubbing his temples, "So I have to go running through more pages of DNA scans, huh?" He sighed wearily; rain was definitely in the air.

"Nya," Hitomi mewed, curling around his legs, blinking green eyes gazed up at him filled with childlike innocence.

Blue eyes met soft, jade eyes. He blinked and Hitomi jumped up on his lap, curling up she settled down to sleep.

After maybe half an hour of mindless typing and research did Ryou follow suit, still sitting in his office chair.

Rain started to fall gently from the sky not a moment after.

* * *

I just realised how damn short that was... Sorry bout that...Next chapter will(is) longer (oh I hope so!) so as soon as four reviews appear, I shall update!!!x unless it's after nine then my internet acess is turned off... Review please!! 


	8. A Time Not So Long Ago

Hello! I...hate my computer. I got a stupid virus on my msn thingie so my e-mails are screwy so I had no idea if people were reviewing this or not... On the bright side: Daylight Savings time has started! So my internet acess turned on one hour early! So I could update quickly!

This chappie (and the next) will be a flashback. I thought some background might be useful, if you pay enough attention to what I wrote in this chappie, you might get suspicious of what is comming... (Thanks for the idea bunnies Chloena!)

**Laura**: Thanks! Yes, I agree, MMP sucks, the morons who change it will be eaten by pumpkins...

Disclaimer: I do not own. Wish I did though

* * *

"Hey, do you wanna play?" He looked up, blue eyes filled with distrust. 

A little girl, maybe a year younger with bright blonde hair and a wide smile, one hand stretched out to him, eyes filled with hopeful joy.

Ryou shifted against the tree, turning one shoulder towards the girl, avoiding her gaze.

"No," He murmured softly, watching a small ant struggle to lift a seed off the dirt.

"Oh…" He could hear the disappointment in her voice, then the rustle of fabric as she kneeled, "Why not?"

Ryou shifted again, "Because," He said shortly, watching the ant crawl around the seed, fighting frantically to lift it into the air.

"That's not much of an answer," Startled Ryou glanced up at the girl, her eyes drilled into his with calm determines.

He shifted uncomfortably, why was she still here? Not only did most people ignore him, but school wasn't out yet, why was she skipping too?

He turned his attention again to the ant, maybe if he ignored her she'd go away.

The bug had almost gotten the see onto its' back, then it slipped and the seed fell onto two of its' legs.

Ryou knew that if that ant had a voice, it would be screaming.

"Sad, isn't it?" The girl commented, crossing her legs onto the ground, her eyes fixed on the ant now as well.

"Fighting so hard for a single goal, one you maybe don't even believe in, and willing to sacrifice almost anything…"

Blue eyes blinked, she blinked back.

"I never thought of it that way…" Ryou muttered begrudgingly.

"Well, maybe you over think things," She suggested, peeling a blade of grass in two.

"Me? You're one to talk!" He said, spinning to face her, deeply offended, as seven-year-olds easily were.

She smiled a soft, kind smile, one that did not belong on a seven-year-olds' face, "Maybe your right," She sighed wistfully, "But that would be nice," Ryou blinked; what was she talking about?

"It would be nice to have a goal to work towards, 'ya know? Have that one thing and when you finally achieve it, then you sit back and just…"

Blue eyes blinked, Her eyes gazed down at the small ant, fighting for the right of its' two limbs.

Those weren't the words of a little girl, those words sounded so much like his mother; she reminded him of her so much…

The last bell of the day rang and kids poured out of the school, the girl merged in with the crowd, but he could swear he saw her kind and gentle smile, her twinkling eyes, before the throngs of people whisked out of the gate.

"Ryou? Ryou come on time to go home!" Keiichiro called from his car, slowly, ever so slowly, Ryou stood, eyes fixated on the ant, limping around the seed dejectedly.

"Take care," He whispered, and then rushed to the brown-hair boy, hands stuffed into his pockets, something new to boggle his over stuffed mind.

* * *

So did you catch my little hints? There's something missing, considering how I usually frase things... Same old: need 4 reviews before update! So contribute to the 'Next Chapter Foundation'! ((holds out tin jar)) 


	9. Dead

Hello!! I'm back, just a day later, aren't I amazing! ((fingers YAY THIS IS SO KAIWAII button)) Hee hee... Four reviews so fast, and two new reviewers. I could be nice to those who haven't revied the last chapter yet and wait a while longer but I'm horribly impatient, and since I've gotten up to almost twenty chapters written on my word document I'm axious to post em all up quick!

Well, I can't say I'm particularily proud of this chappie but oh well ((shrugs)) Since I keep forgetting to tell you people Hitomi means "pupil (of the eye)" and it's used for girls with pretty eyes. Karame means diamond.

Disclaimer: Don't own nothin. 'Cept for my shiny YAY THIS IS SO KAIWAII button. That I luff very, very much!

* * *

She walked slowly down the sidewalk, her eyes traveling over the trees lining the street, the birds flying through the light afternoon air.

Passing by a TV store she glanced briefly towards the numerous shining screens, a picture of a burning mansion on their surfaces, a few firefighters trying in vain to put it out.

She turned away and stared intently up at others' faces, digging into them for information on their lives, their sorrows, their hopes.

Her thoughts traveled slowly to the little boy she had met earlier that day, he was a nice boy, closed off and lonely, scrambling to find his own meaning in life, like that little ant.

She smiled softly, she was positive he'd find his meaning; everyone did, as her father assured her each night when he tucked her into bed.

"_Oh some people may lose it for a while, but everyone will eventually find it again," He told her kindly, patting the covers smooth._

"_What's your meaning to life, Daddy?" she asked in a sleepy voice, her eyelids closing slowly._

"_Why, that'd be your mother," He told her softly, "But also you and Neko-Chan," He spoke of their small smoky grey kitten._

"_I wonder what my meaning'll be…" She slurred, sleep calling her in its' soft, singing voice._

_She didn't get a chance to her what her father said after that, the gentle hands of sleep pulling her into warm blackness._

Her smile widened, her eyes glazed off and distant, staring into a place few had dared to tread.

"WATCH OUT!" Someone screamed, tires shrieked and a large something crashed into her.

Pain seared in her body, ripping her apart like a bloodthirsty animal, bones crack and her brain was crushed, she could feel it collapse.

She flew through the air and for a moment her dying mind was filled with the joy of flight, the endless bliss of being airborne.

Then forceful hands dragged her down, down into never ending, terrifying darkness, the wailing screams of others filled her ears and mind.

She might had joined in and screamed as she fell through the air, she'd never know.

She was dead before she hit the ground.

* * *

She was alone. Cold, sad, and alone. Why couldn't Daddy see her? Why was he crying so much? What was going on? 

Somewhere, in the very corners of her mind, she knew what. But she fought back those thoughts, refusing to believe.

Though she knew as well, she had already lost that battle. Curled into the fatal position, her hands clutching her aching head she watched the world go by, no matter how tightly she closed her eyes, no matter how much she cried, she could still see it.

Her mind took her to see the worst. Famine in poor countries, war in others, everywhere she saw the same sorrow

She saw children dying, and people weeping, she saw the dead look in an African child's eyes.

Days, hours, and years—it didn't matter how long she lay there, weeping for the world, but then at last she was free.

Instead she was faced with a strange woman; she was beautiful, yet ugly at the same time. Her face as young as a child's yet as old as could be.

"You are an odd one, young child," She spoke in a calm voice, soft yet filled with howling wolves, it hurt to hear.

She smiled kindly, her brownish purple eyes said the words she had been longing to hear, the woman caressed her cheek, wet with tears.

The woman's touch left a tingling pain on her skin, a hallow echo as thick as honey filling her mind.

Then everything was white, a blinding, intense white, yet at the same time it was calming, soothing away her pains and clearing her mind.

Suddenly her father appeared, a hazy, barely visible shape that solidified into the all-familiar person.

"Daddy?" She asked, excitement seeping into her voice, eyes filled with a new hope.

"Karame?" He asked in a distant, confused voice, "Oh you're okay, I'm so glad," Tears brimmed in his brown eyes.

"Daddy?" She asked, her father started to disappear, fade away into the background, "No! No don't go Daddy! Come back…please!" She called, her eyes hot with tears.

"I'm so glad you're alright Karame…" He said, "I love you so much…" He sighed, brown eyes closed and he disappeared.

"Daddy! Daddy don't leave me alone!" She shrieked, hot tears spilling down her face.

She didn't want her father to go through what she had, she didn't want him to feel that pain, to feel so lonely.

Suddenly the ground lurched and dumped her off; she fell through a white sheet of molten lava, soft as a rose's petals.

Then everything went black.

That was the day their lives entwined and became one, the day they each set out to find their own answer.

* * *

Okay, I can't say I liked, or enjoyed, re-reading that, but I like the last sentence, that counts for something, doesn't it? Donations? ((shakes tin can)) 


	10. Cheer Up Ol' Chap!

Unlike the last chapter, I am perfectly proud of this one. Generally. It cheered me up, I was considering to put in a Halloween chapter at the last moment (seeing as it's halloween today) but then decided agaisn't it. It would take me too long to write one up and I want to stare at the trick-or-treaters from my bedroom window some more. (Not I'm not a petifile -.-)

YAY! 52 REVIEWS! (50 would sound so much better...) That's even better than sitting around eating the chocolate I'm supposed to be handing out and drinking diet pepsi! Thanks you guys!!

I'm not completely sure if cats see in black and white like dogs, but I think they do. Correct me if I'm wrong. Happy Halloween!

**Disclaimer**: Look, I'm a social life wannabe who's waiting for her friends to come by her house so she can throw candy at them. Do you _really_ think I own TMM??

* * *

Emerald eyes snapped open. Her body felt…damp, clammy, and yet warm. 

She sniffed the air experimentally; the air smelt so dull, the scents of the world around her small.

What she saw also was different; spikes of…bright confusing things invaded her vision, making her eyes hurt so she closed them.

She sighed and sifted closer to the only source of warmth and settled down into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

Blue eyes blinked slowly, registering the fact that warm sunlight was pouring onto his face. 

"Hnn…" He moaned, shuffling deeper under the covers, shoving his face deep below the blankets.

His face came into contact with something soft, fleshy and warm. He blinked his eyes open pale pink filled his vision.

Since when were his blankets pink…?

His mind worked very slowly, then something clicked loudly in his brain.

He lurched backwards and fell out of his bed, landing with a very audible _thunk_. The 'something' on his bed stirred restlessly.

A very red-face Ryou slowly approached the bed, as if it might bite him.

He leaned over the lump on his bed.

Yup. This may become awkward for poor Ryou.

She rolled over, blonde hair splaying across the pillow, slowly jade eyes blinked up at him.

She sighed and got on her knees. She stretched like a cat, working out the kinks in her body.

The sheet wasn't being very nice to Ryou.

The blanket slipped slowly off her as she stretched and yawned hugely.

The blonde boy spun and grabbed his bathrobe. He practically chucked it at the girl.

When he dared to look back over she was curled up on the robe, settling down for sleep.

Well… I think Ryou is going to have a lot of fun this morning, don't you agree?

* * *

After a long, uncomfortable ten minutes Ryou had the blonde girl in his bathrobe and trotting after him down into the basement. 

He plucked a strand of her long, blonde hair from her head; she emitted a soft, 'ah!' noise in pain, wincing slightly.

Ryou turned away from her and placed the hair on the DNA scanner.

As his fingers found the appropriate keys almost immediately something pressed against his leg.

A very human Hitomi rubbed her cheek on his leg, trying to purr.

A very pink Ryou turned back to his computer. Oh he was going to fix this, before anything else embarrassing happened.

* * *

Blue eyes glare daggers at green ones, blinking back innocently. 

Okay, so what if the DNA scans were useless? So what if there wasn't even a trace of cat DNA in her? So what if he was slowly losing his sanity?

Yes, poor Ryou was having a very stressful morning.

Sighing he dropped his hand from his forehead and looked at the human closely. No, he wasn't trying to extend his knowledge from 'the talk' he had received a few years back. He just wanted to see what she looked like.

Hitomi had shoulder-length pale blonde hair, wide innocent jade eyes, and a cute button nose.

Her chin was stubborn and her pale lips were curved into a soft, content smile, she was curled up and already half asleep.

He groaned and turned away from her, his chair spinning slowly in reaction to his movements and squeaking loudly.

'_Mental note to self: get new office chair,'_ He noted in his head for maybe the seventh time that month.

A soft sound, maybe an attempt at a meow came form his bed, he turned slightly to look over his shoulder.

Hitomi cocked her head to one side, and tried again to use her voice box.

"What?" Ryou asked tiredly, he couldn't be sure she would understand him like she did when she was a cat.

Another attempt at the use of her voice, and Hitomi was losing patience.

Ryou was about to slam his head onto his desk surface when his stomach grumbled hungrily.

"…Oh…"

* * *

"Hey Ryou, where's Hitomi?" Keiichiro asked form the kitchen, the man had already finished eating his own breakfast and was cleaning up. 

"Uh…I don't know really," Ryou replied nervously, piling extra sausages onto his plate in a hurry.

"Really? She usually shows up first thing in the morning…" Keiichiro appeared in the doorway.

"Uh, Ryou? Why are you taking extra food?"

The brunette earned himself a glare as the blonde spun and turned, stalking towards the stairs he bumped into a curious Hitomi.

Ryou gripped the cat-girl's arm and yanked her up to his room again.

"Here," He shoved a serving of food at the girl. Blinking rapidly she plucked up a piece of bacon in her teeth and ate it happily.

Ryou sat down on his chair next to her and closed his eyes. Now what? Try to hide her in his bedroom for the day, waiting for her to change back to a cat? That didn't sound too great.

"Gyah?" A soft, slightly scratchy voice asked him from somewhere below his knee. Ryou didn't dare look down.

"I guess we have to get you some clothes," He sighed.

* * *

A slightly red Ryou led Hitomi out of his bedroom and out a back door from the café. 

The cat-girl was wearing a pair of his pants hanging loosely from her waist, held up by a tight belt.

A baggy T-shirt hung off her thin shoulders, hiding her lack of proper woman undergarments slightly.

His blush got slightly brighter, that was something he was dreading. How was he, a sixteen-year-old boy, supposed to buy her a-a-a…girl…chest…thing…

His mind subconsciously avoided the word. An immediate thing it did.

"Hey Ryou! Great morning huh? It's going to be a good weekend!"

The blonde froze and twitched visibly. Lettuce was walking his way, waving, a small smile on her face.

Ryou did the only thing he could thing of, while on edge from all the scary thoughts of girl underwear and mugged up with the vivid memory of dressing Hitomi.

Ryou spun around and ran, Hitomi dangling off his arm, clinging to his hand nervously.

He stopped once the pink-palace was out of view, hidden by the trees in the park. Panting he braced his free hand on his knee then wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead.

"Ryou? What are you doing here?" The blond straightened immediately.

Zakuro blinked at him, one hand propped on a designer purse dangling from her shoulder.

Almost groaning he turned and ran again, this time toward the shops that littered the near-by streets.

---------------------------------------------

"Uh, umm…Excuse me?" Ryou nervously approached a slightly plump, spunky looking older woman, somewhere in her thirties straightening a rack of clothes.

"Hmm? What is it son?" She asked in a jazzy voice, turning around to face the flustered teen.

"Well…Umm, you see my friend here needs some," He waved his hands slightly, trying in vain to get his point across, "Uh, _clothes_,"

The woman looked past him to Hitomi, dressed in his baggy spare clothes.

"Heck she does! What kind are you looking for?" She asked, turning to face the blonde again.

Ryou's face went pink.

"Uh, well," He flustered for a way to tell this woman what he was looking for, "_Clothes_,"

"Yes we've established that," She nodded slightly impatiently.

"No she needs, umm, _girl_ clothes," Ryou strained the words, his eyes pleading for the woman to understand.

"What do you expect the girl to wear?" The woman asked, raising one eyebrow.

"No she needs clothes only…uh, umm… Developed girl wear…" Ryou said desperately, flailing his hands wildly.

The woman blinked at him stupidly for a moment, and then it clicked.

"Oh…You mean she needs a bra!" She said loudly. Ryou's face tried to imitate a tomato, "Yes, yes I'll handle that, you just sit over there," She waved one hand to a chair in the very most corner of the store.

"Come on honey, let's get you properly equipped," The woman said, ushering a confused Hitomi away to a corner of the store Ryou really didn't want to go to.

Half an hour passed while the woman, introduced as Iona, fussed and fitted Hitomi with the 'proper equipment' along with a small pile of clothes.

Ryou tried to block out Iona's cries of joy and flattery toward Hitomi 'Lucky thing' was fine but 'Well look at those speed bumps!' made Ryou's face change into various shades of red and pink.

By the end of it Hitomi clumsily held onto a pile of clothes, blinking at Ryou, as if asking 'what's going on?'

Iona helped Hitomi into a light blue skirt and soft pink shirt (the woman had also had to help her into her under clothes as well), for the way home and threw out Ryou's clothes that she had been wearing earlier.

Ryou tried not to twitch. Those…were his… favorite pants…

The bill Iona handed him after was surprisingly small, considering the amount of clothing Hitomi held now in a big pink bag.

"Come back soon!" Iona called after the pair as they exited the store. Ryou twitched, _'Not likely…'_

They trudged back to the café, and snuck in through the back door they had used to get out earlier and Ryou led the cat girl up to his room.

He took the bag from her hands and stuffed it under his bed then trotted downstairs, after sternly instructing Hitomi to _stay upstairs_.

He appeared in the café and immediately got a strange look from Zakuro and a shyly offended one from Lettuce.

Blue eyes blinked. _'Oh yeah…'_

"Shirogane! Hold it!" Ichigo stopped him from walking downstairs, "What's up? You weren't around to open up and Zakuro and Lettuce both say you ran away from them!"

The five girls nodded in union. It was almost frightening how they could do that perfectly.

Ryou turned away from the mews and was about to go into the basement anyways when something stopped him.

"Gyah…?"

A blue eye twitched.

Not. Good.

* * *

Hee hee... Mini cliffie! Oh who's that yelling outside!! (runs to window) ...Drat, it's not my friends... Oh yeah, they don't know where I live exactly... -.- damn. Here ((flings candy mercilessly at reviwers)) I'm grumpy. Leave me alone... 


	11. Falling From Bed

Whoa. I opened my e-mail inbox and there...were...so...many...review notices!! It was terrifying (in a good way) ther were only like three other e-mails from I'm so happy! In the past couple of days this fic's gotten ten more reviews! There were seven reviews for the last chapter, I think I could die of happiness now...

Oh! I'm changing my profile (again) today and please check it out, everything in bold now means it's beenc hanged...or something... There's so much crap there now it's just...weird.

Disclaimer: I'm a twelve-year-old who's friends enver came by her house on halloween so she threw rocks at trick-or-treaters from her bedroom window...Do you _seriously_, **seriously** think I own TMM???

* * *

The blonde spun, his eyes immediately searching out the cat girl. 

She stood on the bottom step of the stairs, blinking nervously, her pink top drooping slightly off one shoulder.

"Nee-yah…?" She tried again, emerald eyes sweeping the room, eventually finding Ryou. Her mouth curved into a satisfied smile and she trotted up to him, "Nee-yah," She said simply.

Ryou could feel five pairs of eyes boring into the top of his head as he looked down slightly at the cat girl, he had only just realized she was an inch or two shorter than he.

"…Shirogane?" He lifted his head, Ichigo grinned slyly at him, a curious Pudding blinking around her shoulder, Lettuce looked embarrassed for some reason.

"How come we haven't heard of your girlfriend before?" Mint asked, giving him an evil look.

"…Huh…?" Ryou blinked, "What…?"

"We haven't seen her either, have you been hiding her?" Pudding asked.

The monkey jumped up to stare closely at Hitomi's face "Yup. Never seen her before!"

Jade eyes blinked and turned up to him, "Nee-ah…?" She asked green eyes blinking innocently back at him.

"I've…I've seen her before," Lettuce spoke softly, staring at the ground three feet in front of her, "Today, She was with Ryou earlier,"

"Yes," Zakuro nodded, "He ran off with her through the park," Azure eyes looked away from Lettuce and towards Ryou, "What's up with that?"

"Ooh… Ryou was doing naughty things!" Pudding exclaimed, dancing happily around the group waving two red flags. (**A/N**: Don't ask… -.-; )

Four pairs of eyes turned back to the blonde their mouths curving into a smirk, a blue eye twitched.

"Don't put words into my mouth," He grumbled, stomping down into the basement, Hitomi trotted after him, both were swallowed up the dim light that filled the basement.

The five girls turned to trade looks.

* * *

"Nya," 

Ryou rolled over in bed, the bright light of the morning burning through his eyelids.

Moaning he blinked slowly at the speaker. A white kitten with her paws propped up on his bed cocked her head to one side.

"Nya," She ordered, shoving her cool, wet nose through his hair.

"Oh…you turned back into a cat…" Ryou murmured, closing his eyes once more.

"Wait," Blue eyes snapped open, "You could've done that anytime yesterday!" He accused.

"Nya," Hitomi nodded stiffly, green eyes blinked curiously.

With a groan Ryou rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, a small white cat following him through the door.

------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Ryou, is Hitomi back today?" Keiichiro asked cheerfully, flipping an egg in his frying pan.

"Yeah…" The blonde stuffed his mouth full of the food in front of him.

"Oh that's good, strange how she didn't turn up yesterday…Ichigo tells me that some other girl was here though…"

The blond chocked on a piece of bacon, leaning forward slight to cough it up he turned slightly watery eyes up to Keiichiro.

"Really?" He asked trying to keep his voice steady though he wanted to cough some more.

"Yes…quite a coincidence, don't you think?" Keiichiro mused out loud.

"…Yeah…" Ryou mumbled, sipping his milk. Maybe he should tell the other…maybe later.

* * *

Well that was tiny. Sorry bout that. But if I get four donations to the 'Next Cahpter Foundation' and my internet access sticks around to tell me about them, I'll update tonight! ((shakes tin can filled with the large donations received)) hee hee... 


	12. Inquiry

Heh, just last night i edited this chapter, after discovering it was only one page long... I need some little hints and detail so I can kill it all off later ((evil laugh)) ((cokes on chicken leg bone and dies))

**Disclaimer**: I died on a chicken leg bone. I don't think I could own TMM, even if I ofered people potatoes

* * *

Hot water washed over his body, waking him up the slightest, and he simply stood there.

As he was questioning leaving the shower or tests the limits of Hitomi's patience and stay in for over half an hour a shadow appeared on the shower curtain.

Before he could react, still under the influence of sleep, the curtain was dragged back slowly, revealing a little face.

"Nee-yah," Hitomi informed him, pulling the curtain open wider.

There was a pause. You could call it dramatic, but really, it wasn't. More like awkward.

"OUT!" Ryou roared so loudly his throat felt scratchy. He pointed one slightly trembling finger towards the door.

"Nee-yah?" Hitomi asked, cocking her head to one side she inspected his face intently.

Ryou took a deep breath, pre-paring to yell again when one slender finger landed on his lips.

Laughing emerald eyes twinkled at him and Hitomi whisked out of the bathroom silently.

Face several different shades of pink and red he gripped a towel tightly and wrapped it around his waist.

With a deep breath he walked out of the bathroom into his bedroom.

"Nee-yah?" Hitomi looked up, she was pulling off her shirt, pre-paring to put on something new.

There was a pause.

Ryou turned on his heel and went back into the bathroom without a word.

Soft fingers caressed his cheek and he mumbled in his sleep. Shifting under the sheets he opened one bleary eye very, very, slowly.

A hazy image of a blonde wavered in his gaze. He closed his eye again, feeling too sleepy to wake right then.

"Nee-yah?" A soft voice asked a gust of warm breath tickled his face.

Mumbling in his sleep he shifted again and the settled down once more.

"Nee-yah," The quiet voice persisted the hand returned to stroke his cheek.

She sighed softly and cuddled closer to Ryou, settling down for sleep herself

The air was thick, filled with a distant smell of something unearthly, it smelled familiar, but no one could really put their finger on it.

Kish just blamed Tart for it.

Pai furrowed his brow slightly, his fingers tapping several keys on the surface of the screen in front of him.

The images on it were muddled, unclear, swimming around slowly in the box. Grey eyes followed them quickly, scanning the alien language swiftly.

"Hey Paaaii," Kish floated around behind the other, stretching out his name, "Tart stole my strawberries again," He whined.

"I told you already, he'll keep doing that until you stop eating them," The mauve haired boy replied without looking up.

"But they're _so_ goooood…" Kish sighed, rolling onto his stomach he glanced over Pai's shoulder.

"What you doing now?" He asked after a while.

"Tracking several small energy bursts," Pai replied simply, still not taking his eyes from the screen.

"Aww…That's _boring_," Kish, groaned, "I'm so bored!"

"That's great,"

"…So…why you tracking those energy thingies so much?" Kish asked finally.

"Energy surges," Pai corrected the other immediately, "I'm tracking them because this is the second time they've appeared, and they're coming from a cat,"

"So? It's probably just Ichigo," Kish told him simply, "She is a cat…duh…" He sighed.

"But it's not Ichigo putting off these small burst of energy," Pai informed Kish without looking up.

Kish flipped upright, "Really?" He asked, golden eyes lighting up with interest, "This could be fun…"

* * *

I just noticed. The part where the aliens really have an impact in the story hasn't been writting or decided on yet. They were supposed to show up in chapter 15, but I changed that, remembering something else.

God I'm confusing myself. If you're wondering how I can be typing this up while dead that's simple. I'm in pergatory. Support the 'Next Cahpter Foundation' please! ((shakes stuffed can)) hee hee...!


	13. Speaking The Language

Hey everybody! I realised just today that the line feature didn't work so I have to go back and fix that...Once I figure out _how_... Anyways:

SEVENTY FOUR! 7 AND 4!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT!!! ((dances around on non-exsistant sugar rush)) Yeah. Moving on. **People! Go read Juni-Darklight's story!** (not getting enough reviews) Make someone happy.

Disclaimer: I like the Beatles... Oh yeah, don't own, astonishing, isn't it?

* * *

"Yee-" Face scrunched up with concentration she tried again, "Yeee-eh?" Jade eyes blinked hopefully. 

"Not quite," Ryou sighed, "It's yee-ess. Okay?"

"Yee-shh…Ye-sh…Yee-sss?"

Hitomi sat on the floor of Ryou's bedroom, fists clenched slightly in frustration, "Yee-sss?"

Ryou nodded slightly, "That's good, say it all together," He instructed.

"Yeess…Yesh…Yes?" Hitomi asked hopefully, looking up at him with bright green eyes.

"Yes, good, and it only took half an hour," Ryou groaned, rubbing his temples with his hands.

Just as he had said, he had spent the past half-an-hour trying to teach the cat girl how to say just one word.

He was a genius, not a miracle maker.

At least when she had changed into a human out of nowhere that morning, it had been when he was slightly asleep, so he wasn't shocked out of his skin.

"Yes!" Hitomi repeated happily, clapping her hands together.

Ryou couldn't help but smile slightly at her childlike attitude towards…well everything in general.

The cat girl began chanting the word over and over, grinning gleefully.

"Okay then, time for 'no'," Ryou told her, interrupting her chanting. The girl settled down almost immediately, her eyes locked on him, she was more than ready to learn.

After maybe an hour Hitomi caught on and learned simple words like; 'okay', 'what', 'hello', 'I am', and 'hungry'.

The only thing he hadn't taught her was the meaning of each word that could be difficult, considering that he wasn't completely sure she could understand him as a human.

"Hungry," Hitomi interrupted his thoughts, her voice jerky, "I am hungry," She smiled proudly at him, jade eyes twinkling.

"Do you even know what that means?" Ryou asked her tiredly.

A jerky nod, she pointed at her stomach then her mouth, and nodded again.

"Well, then I guess you do," Ryou blinked, how smart was this cat?

* * *

A little later Ryou trotted downstairs, a kitten form Hitomi at his heels. 

He had taken a few minutes to persuade her to become cat again, failing miserably to explain why to her.

"Hey Keiichiro," Ryou walked past him, picking at his slightly cold food, slipping Hitomi apiece here and there.

"Hello," Keiichiro called over his shoulder, trotting into the kitchen, probably to start preparing ahead of time for the opening of the café that day.

"He-hello,"

Ryou's shoulders shot upward, spinning he looked at the girl next to him.

"Cat—now!" He snapped. Jade eyes blinked slowly at him, "Cat, cat—now!" He repeated, making wild gestures with his hands.

Jade eyes blinked twice in confusion then her expression cleared and with a small burst of light she was a cat again.

"Mew?" She asked, slightly irritated.

"Yes, I'm happy now," Ryou, sighed. Stuffing a whole sausage into his mouth.

* * *

The faint smell glided through the air silently, it wasn't a bad smell, necessarily, it just was there, ever present. 

"**_Boooooooooooored_**…!" Kish complained loudly, gliding through the automatic sliding doors, hovering in the air, lounging on his side.

"Didn't you just fight the mews?" Pai asked dully, his grey eyes locked on the screen in front of him.

"That was _yesterday_ Pai!" Kish exclaimed, "Gees, can't you keep track of time?" Kish sighed and flopped onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling.

"So what 'cha doin' now?" He asked, only half interested.

"I'm tracking that energy source of ours again. It's been quite active for the past few days, not moving much, but there all the same," Pai replied, maybe just thinking out loud than trying to make conversation.

"Really? Where's it centered?" Kish asked, gliding over, looking over the others' shoulder.

"The mew's headquarters," Pai said blankly, not bother to move when a gust of air brushed his neck as Kish grinned. Pai didn't need to see him to tell, he just knew.

"Oh really? Maybe it's time we gave them a little visit…" Kish said slyly, his golden eyes mischievous.

Pai didn't bother to turn as Kish teleported away. His thoughts were on other, more important issues.

Like why the hell they had doors if they could teleport anywhere…

* * *

Yeah...I like potatoes. Oh yeah, please contribute to the 'Next Chapter Foundation' ((shuffles around small carboard box)) XD 


	14. The Birds Are Screaming

Hello everyone... WHOA! I just saw how many reviews I've gotten in total...Eighty...Holy crap...I don't feel pressured at all! ((sweatdrop)) Anyways, it seems like all my reviewers are exceptionally rich and giving ((hugs potatoe)). So...thanks to you guys!

I'm very excited now. Because the big step into the story starts here! Yup! Right here! ((points)) Kish was meant to be in this chapter but then I realised there was something I had set up for so I had to do that and now... no Kish. Sorry, he'll be popping up later.

Yay! I get to watch the eleventh DVD of FMA! One away from the movie, go me!! (yeah, you didn't need to know that...)

**Disclaimer**: I've eaten 225 wish chips and keep wishing for the ownership of this anime. So far, 225 wishes haven't come true.

_**NO animals were hurt in the making of this chapter **_

* * *

"Up! Up, up, UP!" 

Ryou fell out of bed.

Green eyes blinked into his own, bright blue ones.

"Up?" Hitomi asked, her arms were raised above her head, if he hadn't realized it was her, he probably would've managed to fall out of bed again.

"Up," Hitomi nodded stiffly, her jade eyes confident and sure.

"Yes…I'm up…" Ryou groaned, rising slowly to his feet and tumbling into the bathtub. There he highly considered going back to sleep.

"Reee—oh?" Hitomi tried from somewhere behind him. He didn't need to see her to tell that she was blinking rapidly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Ryou groaned again, slipping out of the tub, "Out," He pointed through the open door.

A few blinks then Hitomi nodded and trotted out of the bathroom.

* * *

"Hitomi, this way," 

"Hnn? Oh, this wah-ey?" The cat girl scrunched up her face in concentration, "Wha-ey?" She tried again.

"Close. Wa-ay," He said slowly, shifting the weight of the bag in his arms to the other side.

"Wah-ay… Waah? Wa-ayh?"

"Wa-ay. Way," Ryou felt like a parent teaching his kid how to speak.

"Wa-ay…Way!" Hitomi said happily, clapping her hands together.

"Way, way, way! Way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way!" The cat girl chanted, following Ryou down another street.

"Okay, anyways…" The blonde murmured to himself, "We still need coffee…Lots of coffee…"

"WAY!" Ryou spun to glare at a smiling Hitomi, emerald eyes twinkling joyously.

"…Shut up," The blonde instructed simply, before turning away again.

"Up!"

Ryou groaned, slamming one hand into his forehead. He was beginning to wish she had never learned how to speak.

* * *

"Eh? I guess we were out for a while, huh?" Ryou commented, looking down at his watch. 

"Come on Hitomi, go through the back, okay?" Ryou asked over his shoulder at the chanting girl.

"Yes!" Hitomi threw him a salute, where she had learned that, he had no idea, and then bounded around the café.

With a sigh Ryou walked up to the pink palace, the smell of sweets wafting through the open doorway.

---------------------Get Ready For Pie--------------------

(The food you idiot -.-;)

"Reee-oh says: this way!!! I am this way!" Hitomi said happily to herself, walking towards the backdoor, her jade eyes bright with happiness.

The trees behind her rustled uncertainly, leaves tossing in the light wind. Looking up Hitomi saw thunderclouds' rolling in sparks of lighting tracing their outlines.

Coking her head to one side Hitomi stared transfixed at the clouds for a few moments, her jade eyes distant and faded.

The trees shook with uncertain worry, a large cloud of birds, perhaps the entire population of the area, erupted from the trees, screaming their alarm.

A small group of rabbits charged past the cat girl's heel, a red fox darted out of the tree cover towards another building.

Hitomi smiled at the passing rabbits, her ears filled with the screeching of the birds.

She couldn't hear their message.

* * *

The blonde ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes burning from the intensity of the screen in front of him. 

He would run a general check, and then head up to his room, maybe eat lunch.

A few taps on the keyboard and the computer was buzzing cheerfully, numbers and letters merging together on the screen.

A high-pitched beep went off, a few lines flashed red. Straightening in his chair Ryou clicked the mouse a couple times and typed in an access code.

A blank grey square appeared, followed by words in it, spelling out several identifications of the being.

His eyes followed the words with learned skill, reading each word as it appeared.

The message ended with a soft 'beep' and the screen froze.

The blonde sat back, his brow furrowed in confusion. The majority of the identification was 'unknown' or 'unable to identify' and 'non-existent'.

Not good.

He typed in the word; 'location?' blue eyes transfixed on the bright screen. It seemed like forever until the co-ordinates appeared.

If it had been some kind of horror flick the words 'right outside your door' would've appeared.

But all the same, the message was the same.

* * *

A rumbling hiss came from the trees, hatred seeping through the air, anger radiating from deep within the tree cover. 

A late rabbit streaked out of the trees, panting heavily. Then froze and fell over, dead.

Mirth slipped from her green eyes. Fear trickled up from her stomach to freeze her body over.

Slowly a form appeared in between the trees, slowly growing clearer.

A large black shadow, shaped like a panther, its' shoulders could've easily made it past her head.

Small, hatred filled blood red eyes locked on frightened jade eyes.

The thing took one step forward, Hitomi took one back.

Slowly trickling rain began to fall, barely covering anything, just enough to be felt, not enough to be recognized.

So familiar. So foreign.

Hitomi was scared. She was no fool, she knew that the thing meant her no good; she also knew if she didn't act quickly things would turn to its' favor.

But this message was having trouble traveling from her brain to her body.

One step forward, and one step back.

All she could do was stare, eyes caught by that unwavering crimson gaze. She could only take one step back, when it took one forward.

One step forward…

And she snapped. Breaking out of her daze she turned and ran, charging through the undergrowth, spinning past trees.

Rain poured down harder, drenching everything a glossy colour.

She ran like she never knew how. Her feet tangled with roots and her hands scratched on bark.

She didn't stop.

She was no fool

If she were to stop.

So would everything else.

* * *

I really like those last few sentences...I know, kinda...out of it sort of chapter. But...OH! Yay... In a few chapters I'll be caught up to where I am in the writing on my word document!...Wait, I've got writer's block...Damnit...-.- 

((Drags over guitar case)) Please support the 'Next Chapter Foundation', all donations greatly accepted!!


	15. Can't Hang On No More

Ack, now I'm getting worried. We're catching up to my pre-written chapters and I haven't written one in so long (stupid writer's block) so I guess after a couple chapters updates may slow down, quite a bit. But I'll try to squeeze out a chappie, I mean, you reviewers are feeding me three square (if not healthy) meals a day! It's the least I can do.

But some good news, in a left-handed way. My muse decided to be useful for a oneshot that practically wrote itself the other day, so...yay me!...Yeah, not that great news, huh? Oh well...

**Berri** (the magical anonymou reviewer) Well, you might have to wait...WAIT! Hey that's it! Thank you thank you thank you! I can write chapter 19 now! yay!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own and I wish I did. I also wish I owned an obediant muse that wouldn't run away...

* * *

Rain poured down harder and harder, drenching anything and everything. Killing off the sunshine that humanity lived off. 

Leaves tossed in the wind, the clouds grumbled sleepily, just waking from their peaceful slumber, calling lightning awake.

People trotted down walkways, umbrellas in hand, or standing under awnings, escaping the rain. Busses rolled down the streets, packed with people clamoring for a savoir from rain.

Hitomi didn't have one.

No one to run and hide beneath, and no one to shield her from the harsh winds and rain. All she had was her head screaming for her to run.

Run. Faster, fast! Don't stop! Don't stop!

She knew not to stop, forever reminding herself of the end. Of it all, of the cold rain on her face and the cruel winds whipping the branches against her.

She wouldn't stop. She wouldn't let go. She wouldn't let go.

* * *

"Aw crap," Ryou sped up, urged on by the growing rain, weariness was fought back the cold dread in his stomach, winding it's way to his throat, making it harder to breath. 

Gasping for air he charged on. It was his fault. All his fault. He wouldn't let this happen.

…Wouldn't let go.

* * *

Her foot caught beneath the arch in a root sticking out of the ground. 

A slip and a fall. Tumbling down she tried to turn, tried to shift to get out.

A small snap came from her ankle. Pain climbed up her leg, and her foot was stuck.

She let out a small cry of pain, and then silenced herself, as the shadow grew closer. Scarlet eyes sparkled with cruel amusement the shadow cat took a few more steps forward.

Then with a loud yowl it lunged for her, mouth open wide, teeth glinting in the receding light. Jade eyes slammed closed, she curled up into herself, letting out a wordless yell for help.

Teeth sunk through flesh, just tickling the bone.

Jade eyes opened the tiniest bit. Using her arms she pulled herself away from it. Her ankle didn't hurt that much anymore…

Emerald eyes closed.

--------------

The cat let yelled in anger, the words couldn't be translated into any language, it was one of its' own.

Panting heavily, flinching in pain he stepped back one step. Blood flowed down his arm in a rush.

The shadow twitched its' tail in aggravation then crimson eyes grew cruelly thoughtful.

It lunged towards the man, thirsty for blood, hungry for death.

Green eyes opened. Blue eyes closed. Red eyes faltered.

* * *

Hitomi came back into consciousness to the sound of flesh being ripped apart. 

She lurched to her feet, using a tree to hold herself upright. She pressed her forehead to the cool, wet bark.

A strangled cry came from somewhere behind. Fear laced itself through her being.

Hitomi turned.

Ruby eyes faltered… Faltered…. Died.

Ryou wobbled on his feet, swaying from side-to-side. His head felt un-naturally light.

His entire left arm hung as a tattered bloody wreck, wounds ranged along his torso and a large bite had landed right on his knee.

A particularly deep gash across his forehead bubbled and gurgled heavily.

The blonde collapsed, his back deciding to land on a thick root. His head turned slowly to stare up at her.

Blue eyes met with green eyes.

Hitomi backed up a step, the back of one hand pressed to her mouth. Eyes un-naturally, large fear all over her face.

"H-Hitomi…?" His voice cracked and died, leaving a scratchy noise hovering in the air.

Her gaze wobbled, his mangled body slipped from the centre of her vision to a corner, then back again, never focusing perfectly.

"Hitomi…" He tried again.

Her mouth opened, her hand fell.

A screech came from her mouth. It was the most terrifying thing he had ever heard, half human, and half an animal, echoing eerily off the trees, vibrating in the air.

Then she turned and ran. Hot tears slipped form her eyes, blind and scared she flew through the trees.

Running, running. Never stopping.

Never going to hang on again.

* * *

Well, I can't say I liked the ending there... oh well, ((drags over guistar case filled with un-healthy food)) please contribute to the 'Next Chapter Foundation'! 


	16. Hurt

Wow. Some pretty...Long and (if they had been speaking) probably loud reviews. I'm so happy! My writer's block is slowly comming down, but now I'm getting pretty nervous. But, to quote Ringo "My life is like a broken drumstick...Whatever that means to me..." Now...On with the chappie (so please don't taunt me with marshmellow fluff then not give me any!)

HOLY CRAP!! 92 reviews...Wow. I can't say I had expectations for this story, but I definetly suprassed them! ((sniff)) thanks so much you guys! ((flings leftover halloween candy blindly))

**Disclaimer:** Does a bucket of vomit count?...No? Well then I don't own TMM.

* * *

Slowly blue eyes opened, a vast expense of white meeting their wavering gaze. Subconsciously he wondered why he felt…he felt like… 

He felt like he was on fire.

Almost every bone in his body cried out in pain, his muscles were being ripped apart by an invisible force.

His left arm felt like dull knives were slowly chewing it up, his head pounded mercilessly like an axe was slicing through his skull.

Slowly blue eyes closed once more, falling into a drugged sleep.

* * *

Yet again a white ceiling met his gaze as his eyes opened once more, admit a bit slower this time. 

He felt somewhat better, the pain in his bones and muscles had been reduced to a dull humming, and although his head still pounded it was softer.

Slowly his stiff neck turned to look to his right. A small bedside table stood there, in front of a white wall with a small window facing a large oak tree's trunk.

Blue eyes blinked slowly, when they opened again a worried face hovered a short distance away from his.

"H-Hi…to mi… You're okay…good…" Slowly his eyes closed once more, his words lost to the thick blanket of sleep gathering him up in its' arms.

* * *

For a third time blue eyes opened, staring out the small window. He was satisfied to note that his head felt much better. 

He shifted slightly, trying to roll over but his aching limbs protested their use very loudly. He stilled and listened to the silence.

"Are you…awake this time?" A soft voice asked from somewhere behind him.

He raised his left hand slightly, acknowledging the voice. He was awake, yes. But was he still alive? That's what he wanted to know.

There was a rustle and Keiichiro crouched next to the bed, a soft smile on his face.

"Hey, you really took a beating this time, huh?" He said cheerfully.

"Hitomi…Where's…Hitomi…?" He croaked out, his mouth dry, his throat stung from screams.

He had screamed? When did he do that…?

"Hitomi? I haven't seen the little kitten around since… before the day we found you, why?" Keiichiro asked, the last thing he would have suspected Ryou to worry about would be his cat.

"She…she was in danger…" Ryou mumbled scratchily, his eyes misting up with tears of pain as his body groaned loudly.

"Shh… This can wait, go back to sleep," Keiichiro murmured quietly, in a fatherly tone.

Sleep. That sounded like a good idea. Father always knew what was a good idea…

"G'night Dad," Ryou whispered so quietly Keiichiro barely caught it, but he heard it all the same.

Smiling at the slumbering blonde he stood and trotted out of the hospital room, he suspected someone would be anxious to hear news.

* * *

"Shirogane!" A voice snapped him from his sleep; opening bleary blue eyes he blinked at the window. 

"Shirogane you idiot!" Ichigo's waist and legs appeared in his vision, "You baka, baka idiot!" She yelled down at him.

"Ichigo," A slightly amused voice said from out of his field of vision, "This is a hospital, please try to be quiet,"

The strawberry huffed impatiently and crouched down to Ryou's eye level.

"Do you have any idea how stupid you are?" She asked in a low dangerous voice, her brown eyes filled with anger.

"A very baka one?" Ryou coughed out a small, amused smile on his lips. Anger flashed in her wide brown eyes.

"Shirogane, after getting chewed up, then spat out, then chewed up again, you decide to be sarcastic?" Her voice was bordering on yelling once again.

"Yup." Ryou said simply, blue eyes bright with amusement.

"Shirogane!" She stood once more, fists clenched in anger, "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?!" She yelled down at him.

There was a silence, in which Ichigo's frustrated heavy huffs of breath could be heard ad the obvious lack of air on Ryou's part was, of course, unheard.

Then the strawberry spun on her heel and stomped out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

He turned his head slightly to stare up at the ceiling. His heart twisted slightly in his chest, god, he really was a baka idiot.

* * *

...Yes, I am in favour of RyxIch...Slightly. I'm not totally in favour of anything really. So...yeah. Anyone got some advil? ((goes off in shearch of advil)) Julie: Umm...food? ((holds up her stolen guitar case)) 


	17. 100 REVIEWS!

Well...This really isn't much of a chapter...In fact I always thoguht I wrote more...But it's just a couple of paragraphs...sorry! I'll try to make the next chappie longer...But there might be a bigger wait this time around.

Now, let me quote the small conversation I had with my friend just as I was writing this:  
_ "AHHHH!!!((runs away)) I'm terrified!" "Why??" "Be-b-because...th-there's...there's..." "What??" "one-one one hun-hundred... one hundred of them! OH MY GOD!!!"_  
My friend then decided to ignore me. Thanks a lot Emily -.-.

Bu seriously. One hundred reviews. I'm flipping out. Wow. Anyways, thanks fo much you guys! Because like...Over half of you donated Advil, so thanks for caring!

**Berri **(still magically anonymous) Really? What writing style is this? Nope, I have to agree with you there... and yeah, Hitomi's all alone...And that's the point of this chappie!

Disclaimer: TMM...nope, never heard of it...;)

* * *

Ryou woke up later alone, the morning sun filtering through the small window, outside the leaves in the oak tree rustled in a breeze, the odd one's grip would slip and it would fall. 

He slowly sat up, his cramped muscles protesting their use, and crossed his legs carefully. One of his knees gave out a shot of pain, but it was small.

After a few moments of staring down at his hands in his lap he dared to move once more.

Sliding across the soft mattress he eased out of the bed. His legs wobbled beneath him then gave out suddenly.

Collapsing rather painfully on the floor he sighed. Stretching out both legs in a V-shape he reached for his toes with his fingers several times until his unused muscles were better.

Standing slowly once more he braced his arms on the small window and strained to see past the oak tree.

"Ryou? Are you up already?"

"Yeah," The blonde didn't need to turn to tell who it was, he could recognize the man's voice anywhere.

"…I need to ask you something," The brunette behind him started hesitantly.

"It's Hitomi, right?" Ryou asked, turning gradually to look over at Keiichiro.

"Yes," He held Ryou's gaze calmly, brown studied blue.

"Then you might want to sit down, this could take some time," Ryou suggested, sitting down on the bed once more.

* * *

Tears streamed freely down her cheeks in a hot rush. Her nose ran continuously, sniffing she slumped against the alleyway wall. 

Slipping to the cold, hard ground she curled into herself. Never had she experienced crying before, it was alien to her.

But she could recognize the painful aching in her chest, although she could not remember it perfectly.

Like the voice of a long forgotten friend, the memory danced just out of her reach.

She longed for the pain to stop, for the memories to go away. She wanted it all to end.

Wailing loudly she buried her fingers through her hair, weaving around and around the strands yanking them out harshly.

Cracking open tainted green eyes she blinked at the stone wall.

There. There it was again. Those…feelings.

She brushed the tips of her fingers along the rough stone, her tears stilled for the moment at least.

Her memories bumped and merged together, never standing still enough for her to see clearly.

With another shrieking wail she hit the wall with her fists, pain lacing through her heart once more.

Regret. Sorrow. Those are not the feelings one should hope to find with love.

* * *

Up there, Hitomi's where she found Ryou originally, I realise that isn't very well...portrayed so I'm telling you now. ((pops Advil in mouth)) Review please? ((shuffles guitar case around on floor)) 


	18. Molten Gold

Hey everybody! I had to stay home from school today and, yes I'm not happy about it. A) becasue we had a stupid music test thingie and I needed it to pass B) We were supposed to go to Tom Hortons today C) I don't think I'm **that** sick. But I think I have strep or something...would someone mind explaining to me _what_ strep that _is_??

Anyways, you might notice that about 3/4 of the way through there's a sudden burst of ajectives. That was the point where my inspiration appeared once more and I typed my fingers off. Anorther useless fact; The two POV's were written originally as seperate chappies but they were short...So I smushed them!

**Berri **(Still anonymous but hoping to soon not be): Thanks, I get what you mean about writing styles. As far as I've written Keiichiro doesn't actually react to the cat, so I think I may have to fix that... Ichigo? No idea. Honestly I'm deprived of ideas like that. Never thought of them to begin. Nope, it isn't _Ryou_ who finds her...((evil chuckle))

**Disclaimer**: I own a cow hat. That is all I claim (as well as two doughnuts, a tomato or two, three boxes of crackers, 2007 cases of advil (I counted), marshmellow fluff and five sacks of potatoes).

* * *

Slowly emerald eyes opened bit by bit to stare dumbly at the wall across from her. 

It had been somewhere around five nights since she had come to rest in the alleyway, slumped over her body a large, aching, cramp.

Rubbing bits of sleep from her eyes she yawned hugely and her stomach rustled noisily below.

Her teeth bit into her bottom lip, she hadn't eaten in days, her fear of the noisy streets around and her inability to communicate with the humans made it almost impossible anyways.

But that wasn't all of it. She felt…dirty, impure, undeserving of the right to eat though she was starved.

She didn't deserve to switch back to a cat, although she felt so uncomfortable as a human for so long.

Her skin was itchy and her body cold, unprotected by her usual layer of fur. She felt so…strange, out of it, when she was a human.

Before it hadn't bothered her, but maybe that was because…just because…

Whimpering she clenched her head in between her palms, sinking lower down to the ground.

"Well, what do we have here?" She didn't dare look up, the words processed slowly in her brain as it translated them into her own language.

"What…?" Her voice came out as a croak; the word took so much energy to say but at the same time flew freely from her lips.

"Well you don't seem like much do you? Pathetic really…" The source of the voice squatted down at her level.

Green met Gold.

* * *

She stared transfixed at the plate of food in front of her. Her stomach gave another hungry lurch as the smells wafted up to her nose. 

She looked up at the man standing above her once more. His green was hair parted into two ponytails; his golden eyes stared down at her through a thin curtain of bangs.

"Go ahead," He urged her on in a bored, almost sarcastic voice, "Eat damn it,"

Worry flickered in her jade eyes and she lifted up a piece of food in her teeth.

"What the hell…?" The man above her questioned, "Aw whatever…stupid cat…" He stomped over to a chair on the opposite side of the room and set about moping.

He was generally ignored, for not five seconds later the pointless door next to him opened and a mauve-haired man walked in, followed by a young boy.

"That her? Are you sure Kish? She don't got no ears and tail like Ichigo," The boy asked interestedly.

"Yes I'm sure," The golden-eyed one snapped back, still moping in his chair.

"Well we'll soon find out, won't we?" The tallest, and probably oldest, one commented monotonously.

Emerald eyes blinked up innocently, a flicker of worry flashing in those wide, bright, eyes.

* * *

Ryou walked back into his room and heaved a small sigh of relief. He had been in the hospital for…too long. 

Although his left arm was still splinted and hurt to move too much, he felt as good as new.

He slid into his office chair that let out a squeaky whine as he moved in it and focused his attention to the computer.

It wasn't like there was anything for him to do. Nothing pressing or important. That's what he told himself every half hour when he wandered back to the computer.

Nothing important…Just some mindless research…Yeah, that was it…

His fingers found the keys instinctively and begun to click and clack over them, typing in code after code, valueless numbers.

His eyes were glued to the screen but his mind wandered.

How long had it been? Eight, nine days? No…it had been at least fourteen. The thought made his stomach twist into all sorts of complex designs.

Humans could survive without food for maybe a week, but clean water was different. Had Hitomi already…

Or had she reverted back into a cat, chasing down some human to adopt her? That idea was slightly more comforting.

Though he had felt so alone the fast days, it wasn't like before, when she had been there, yet unable to communicate with him…No.

It was…smothering the silence, the lack of wide emerald eyes and small smile and simple words.

It was simply…lonely. Unbearably lonely.

With a sigh he brought his mind crashing back down to earth as someone knocked on his closed door.

"Yeah…?" He called loudly, so to be heard through the thick wooden door.

There was a pause then the soft shuffling of feet as whoever it was walked away once more.

Without a second thought he turned back to the laptop.

Just some more pointless research to do…

* * *

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes."

"Hnn…" The golden-eyed boy leaned over, inspecting her face closely.

Everything was a blur, she felt no different, but also felt like thousands of needles were piercing her skin in all the right places to make her flinch.

"Guess what, little kitty-cat?" The golden eyes asked her, "You got two souls in there," A finger rapped on her forehead, wide jade eyes stared transfixed into molten gold.

"What…?" She whispered, confusion and worry danced across her face, and swam in her orbs of jade fragments.

"When do we get to do something?" A voice whined out of her field of vision, she dared not take her eyes of the golden eyes in front of her.

"Later, Tart," The mauve one replied flatly, leaving no room for argument. The boy made some.

"But Pai! We've done nothing for days!"

The boy got no reply so he settled for munching on a bad of chips, doubtlessly stolen from earth earlier.

"I agree with Tart, for once really," The golden eyes turned away to complain, "I'm-"

"Don't," The mauve one warned sharply, a moment too late.

"**_Boooooooooooored_**…!" He sang out loudly, letting each letter hover in the strange smelling air for a second or two.

"Then go amuse yourself," Was the, dare I say it, bored reply he got.

The man in front of her stood to leave without when a small hand gripped his wrist, his neck snapped around.

Gold melted into green.

"Are you…sad?" Hitomi asked quietly, emerald orbs staring up innocently into molten gold.

A strange look passed over his face, to be replaced by a blank expression. A wall began to build up just behind the film of gold.

He ripped his hand from hers' and turned around fully to face her his fingers reaching out slowly for her forehead.

* * *

Yay! Cliffie! ((ducks rotten vegetables being thrown in her direction)) I would like to point out that I haven't watched a TMM episode in _weeks_ and therefore most of Kish's personality was drawn from Envy. I guess I should watch the show again, just to get the people right... Anyways, anyone got some cough drops? ((pokes overflowing guitar case with toe)) 


	19. Memories

Enn...Can't say I'm proud of this chappie. It kinda...dumb and blank and rabblie. Ah well, what can I say? I react badly yo being sick, as some of you may have noticed... Speaking of which, thanks to all you reviewers who were so concerned... Very kind of you guys!

**Berri** (anonymous...not that thre's anything wrong with that) I'm glad I got Kish down, now I'm nervous 'bout Ryou.. I'm trying to get Hitomi sweet and stuff. Yup, he's quite worried, in his own way. Yay! ((reaches for ice cream)) Ice cream!! ((is propelled my invisible Mom-Sheild)) Aw...no dairy products when sick..Thanks anyways!

**Disclaimer**: Here's a shocker: I don't own TMM! Really suprised you, didn't I?

* * *

A hallow, empty scream vibrated in the air. Emerald eyes vacant and distant stared up at the ceiling. 

Slowly her form fell limp down to the floor once more. Her mind was swamped by memories that hadn't existed before.

Her body pretty much shut down as her mind flew through its' sudden information. Year's worth of images, sounds, smells…

Her head pounded loudly, unheard and unfelt by the owner, who was watching her life fly by.

Images flash for seconds, but some moment stood out longer, letting her take in the scene, before disappearing.

--------------------------

"_Daddy, Daddy why are they burying Mommy? Daddy, she won't be able come home tonight if they cover her in dirt! Please tell them to stop!" The young girl tugged on the hem of her fathers' shirt._

_The man looked down, tears standing out in his eyes, _

"_Baby it's okay," He enveloped her in a hug, "Mommy just won't be able to come home for a while, that's all,"_

"_She's dead, isn't she?" The little girl's voice was blank, a statement, not a question._

_She could feel her dad stiffen for a moment then relaxed, holding her closer._

"_Yes, Karame, Mommy's not coming back," He whispered into her hair, "I'm sorry,"_

-----------------------------------------

"_She doesn't talk much anymore, does she?"_

"_Never did talk a lot before, I suppose it's because of her mother's death…"_

"_Poor thing, growing up without a mom…"_

_Two women standing at the entrance to an elementary school looked across the yard filled with playing kids to a little girl sitting by a tree, alone._

_The ladies cast the girl one last, pitying look before entering the dimly lighted school compared to the bright sunlight outside._

_The little blonde girl ran a stick through the tightly packed dirt, drawing un-named animals and squiggly lines that led nowhere._

"_Hey, can you hold the skipping rope for us?" A brown hair girl not a day older leaned over, offering the bright pink plastic rope to her._

"_Hey, say 'please'!" A girl behind her reminded, this one looked older, maybe a grade or two ahead._

"_Sorry," The brunette huffed then grinned again, "_Please_…?"_

_The little girl blinked then smiled nervously back, "Umm…Okay…" She said in a soft voice, watching the florescent rope swing back and forth slightly just inside her vision._

"_Great!" The two sang, leading her to the pavement where two other girls were waiting._

"_Happy now Sari? You don't have to hold first," The older girl huffed impatiently, stretching the rope out between her and the little blonde._

"_Let's go!" One cheered impatiently, bouncing slightly on the heels of her purple and blue sneakers._

The moments faded, replaced by a series of snips of pictures.

A pair of bright blue eyes, a small grey tail lashing back and forth, the hazy image of a woman's face, a little ant on the ground, a piece of white paper with math questions on them, soft, glowing, blackness and two piercing lights closing in on her quickly.

* * *

Ryou trotted down the street slowly, blue eyes staring down at the pavement ahead of his feet, the noise of bustle of the small crowds of people didn't quite register in his mind. 

He shuffled along, his feet managing to find every crack, pebble, or pothole in his way.

Yes. Tripping into a pothole just made his day.

Pausing as his toe jammed into a large rock sitting firmly in place he glanced up to his right.

A small thin alleyway sat between two, tall office buildings. Farther back in the alley was a lump.

A lump with blonde hair.

He slipped into the alley and crouched down opposite the lump. Slowly a head lifted up and swollen eyes gazed at him blankly.

Ryou tried a smile as he reached out one hand. She flinched as his fingers brushed her forehead then relaxed.

He frowned slightly; she was burning up. Her nose was running and when she opened her eyes he could see they were red and bloodshot

Ryou sighed; he was guessing her head was stuffed up as well. Getting to his feet slowly he picked up Hitomi.

He blinked down at her slumbering form. She was so light.

* * *

"Hey Keiichiro?" Ryou called into the café as he slipped through the door, the still sleeping cat girl in his arms. 

"Yes?" The man of question poked his head through the kitchen doors; there was a smear of flour on his forehead.

"Know anything about healing up coughs?" He lifted the girl up slightly, smiling slightly at the other.

The brown haired man blinked dumbly at Ryou, then at the girl, and back.

"Um…" Ryou could practically hear the gears ticking inside the baker's head, "Hitomi?"

Ryou nodded, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. There was a brief pause then Keiichiro was hunting through the cabinet in the bathroom, looking for medicine.

-----------------------------------------

"Well, when she wakes up give her more medicine and make sure she drinks a lot of water…" Keiichiro shrugged and smiled slightly, "You'd probably be better off asking Lettuce,"

The blonde smiled back as the older left the room, trying to rub off the spot of flour that Ryou had pointed out to him earlier.

Ryou sat down in his squeaky chair and face the computer; almost as if it knew he was there it began to work, urged on by his fingers skittering over the keys.

Time passed, as it tends to do, and soon the sun was hovering over the horizon, unsure whether or not to go to sleep yet or not.

It was then that he moved away from his computer to glance at Hitomi, she was looking better, if only a little bit.

He refreshed the cloth that had hung over her eyes on her forehead and checked her temperature and puffed eyes.

Satisfied that the swelling had gone down he trotted down into the kitchen. Keiichiro said they were having fish that night…

* * *

Yes...About half way through everything went crap-o. Sorry about that, I'll try really hard to write the next chapter good! Speaking of which, next update will probably be slower...But hang on with me, kay? 


	20. Awakening

Yes. I didn't go to school again today. I think boredom is going to kill me off, not whatever sickness I've got. I really wanted to go to school today cause our class was supposed to finish some survey thing from CHEO to find out if we're enerecsic or emo or something and as strange adn creepy as that sounds, I really wanted to do that. So poo, I missed my chance.

Anyways, I kinda squeezed this one out but I think it turned out okay, despite my lacking muse. Though the plot is going nowhere and that's begining to tick me off, I can't say I hate this story so there's no chance that I'll discontinue it, but this will take some time.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own TMM, I also live in the Bahamas, go to Autrailia on my weekends and have never been sick in my life. I'm so special! ...Not.

* * *

Slowly eyes opened, light dancing the in jade like fragments that stared up at the ceiling.

Her head pounded like the brain inside it was thumping against the walls her skull made, trying to escape.

Icy coolness spread through her body, just under her skin, which was flaming hot, there was a gaping void filling her body, she was full of empty.

Slowly jade slipped behind pale eyelids, her mind was slow to work as she pondered why she felt so strange.

She stumbled to recall the images, smells and sights she had seen earlier, but found nothing. They slipped through her fingers like sand, fading faster the more she tried to remember them, like a dream of many nights ago.

Slowly she peeled back her eyelids to stare at the ceiling once more. It wasn't just those fading memories that made up the void, no there was something more missing, something lacking that made her feel colder than usual.

She fought through the mess of half-remembered times in her mind until she found a pair of bright, golden eyes.

She closed her eyes a second time as the recent memory floated like a bubble to the top of her head, passing through the mud-puddle of thoughts.

-----------------------------------------

_A pale, pale, hand stretched out towards her, its' fingertips brushing against her forehead. Emerald seeped into gold, trying to read the molten orbs that were slowly building a shield._

_A message flicker for a moment then disappeared. Irritation, mild surprise and lonely sorrow melted into each other, filling his eyes for a brief second, to be washed away in the blink of an eye._

_His palm engulfed her forehead and a flash of light just above her eyes shot from where their skin touched. Searing pain flew through her body in seconds. She might have screamed, she didn't know._

_-------------------------------------------------- _

Green eyes shot open; trying to force her breathing back to normal she twisted slightly from the position she had been lying in to see where she was.

There were three bleach white walls, a desk in one corner carrying only a small computer, a window on the wall closest to her head and a small bedside table.

Her mind itched to remember, this place was so familiar. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, like the memory was hers', but someone else's.

The door opened slowly and a blonde shuffled into the room, blue eyes distant and staring hard down at the ground.

She furrowed her brow, this boy also seemed familiar, but this time the memory seemed closer, and more like her own.

The boy looked up and spotted her, and smiled lightly.

"Hey, feeling any better?" He asked conversationally, stopping in the middle of the room.

Her brain worked fast, trying to remember, trying so hard…

"I don't know," She said slowly, then the words came back faster, "My head…hurts quite a bit though," She told him.

There was a pause, in which the blonde gaped slightly at her, as if her speaking was strange and abnormal.

"What is it?" She asked slowly, making sure her voice was clear, so maybe he would stop staring.

"How do you know how to talk?"

* * *

Yeah...there wasn't supposed to be like a cliffe but then I got tierd and went to sleep, and left the chapter as is. So...yay! Please donate to the 'Next Chapter Foundation'! 


	21. Strawberries

Yeah, it's been a long while...About a week, right? Sorry! But I had no iternet access for being 'rude' or something to my dad...Sorry bout that... Well, in other news I officially have mononeucleous, so no school for another week. Well, I'm certain to die of boredom. -.- fun. And I have to have a second blood test in a month, my life is overflowing with joy -.-

**Berri**(magical fluffy anonymous reviewer!) It's not intentional. I have no idea how I make Hitomi that way. It scares me a little. Yes her volcabulary has gotten bigger, by just a little bit :) Thanks, I'm finally feeling better now!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but the experience of watching the wonderfully bloody FMA movie xD

* * *

Blue bore into green as moments ticked by in silence.

The girl half risen in blankets strewn across the bed haphazardly, the pillow was teetering on the edge of the bed, considering whether or not to tumble down to the floor.

The boy standing just a few feet into the room, blonde hair still ruffled from sleep, fingers just slipping off the door handle.

"Is speaking a bad thing?" The voice that came from her mouth was clear and confused, her emerald eyes looked up quizzically, her brow furrowed slightly.

Since when did Hitomi act so human?

"Well no, but…" Ryou ran his fingers through his hair, "Well, since when can you speak so well?"

The girl stared up at him, one eye almost closed, forehead wrinkled in thought.

"Well, how should I know?" She asked simply. Ryou sighed and sat down in his creaky chair, a small voice in his mind reminded him to get a new one.

Taking a deep breath he stated plainly, "That's not very helpful," He met her gaze with a flat one of his own.

"Oh," She murmured, "Umm…well, then what would be?" Emerald blinked in the bright sunlight filtering through the window.

"Anything," Ryou sighed, "Anything you can think of about yourself and how you got here,"

"Umm…" Green eyes turned up to the ceiling, she tugged on her bottom lip with a finger in thought.

"Well… I like strawberries!" She exclaimed with a grin, holding up one index finger in accomplishment.

"…That's great," Ryou sighed blankly, slowly slipping off his chair.

"Oh! And I remember…" Her eyes became glazed as a image of dirt littered with a few blade of grass slipped by, "I remember a ant!"

"…Huh…?" Ryou raised one eyebrow and gave her a stupid look.

"Yeah…but that's all, sorry," She shrugged and smiled apologetically.

"Never mind, just forget it," The blonde sighed and trotted out the door, "Oh, breakfast's downstairs," He threw over his shoulder, pausing just inside the room.

He continued on, stuffing his hand in his pockets, glaring down at the floorboards.

She stared down at the rumpled bed sheets for a moment or two longer, then, rising to her feet, she smiled and set about fixing the bed.

* * *

"**_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_**!"

Tart launched through the air screaming, finally slamming hard into his target, which toppled to the ground.

"Quit it!" Kish snapped, struggling for release, "I'm not going to give you my strawberries!"

"But you're _eating _them!" Tart wailed.

"That's what one does with food," Kish told the younger, rising to his feet and promptly eating another fruit.

"Kish, in here." A monotone command floated out of the nearby room to hover in the air for a moment or two.

Sticking his tongue out at the defeated alien boy on the ground Kish paraded into the next room, proudly holding up his basket of strawberries.

"Tests are finished," Pai remarked in reply to the 'swish' of the doors opening, not taking his eyes of the screen in front of him.

"So soon?" Was the sarcastic answer he got, "Didn't you finish a few days ago?"

The olive haired alien reclined mid-air, tossing a strawberry casually into his mouth. After a few moments of silence he sighed in defeat,

"What do they say, Pai?" He asked flatly, glaring over at his silent companion.

"It's a cat,"

"…No really, what do they say?"

"It's a c-"

"Yes but can we expand on that?"

"The weaker spirit of the host body, it is one of a cat, unable to operate the host body by itself it simply provides the cat form,"

There was a pause in which Kish thought really hard about what the other had said, trying to figure it out and Pai started to play tic-tac-toe on his computer.

"So…it's entierly worthless…?" Kish questioned, come to a conclusion of his own.

"Not entirely," Pai looked up for a moment, "Without this spirit the body cannot change it's form or understand and speak the language of cats, nor use any other ability it may have had from being a cat,"

There was another long pause. While Kish thought about what Pai had said, the mauve alien returned to his game of tic-tac-toe on his computer screen.

"So…it's almost entirely worthless…?" Kish asked hopefully, praying to avoid another complicated explanation.

"…Basically,"

"Ah,"

* * *

Well there you go. I think that wasn't too bad, was it? Now I have to go before my giant potatoe eats me. Leave a review please! 


	22. Small Words

Yet again, this update took a while. I was planning on updating yesterday but instead I watched TMM episodes on youtube. So, sorry about that... On a brighter note this chapter is pretty long so you'll have _something_ to read. Anyways, I'd like to point out something: 142 REVIEWS!! WOO HOO!!!! ((does random happy dance)) hee hee...Yes, I am happy beyond belief. To think I thought no one would read this story when I posted chapter one...Thanks so much for reading this story guys!!

Berri(fluffy happy anonymus reviewer): Hee hee, I'm glad the last chapter made you laugh! (thanks for the food!

* * *

Somewhere just outside Tokyo city, there's a little valley, with a little hill covered with fresh green grass and bright flowers. There always seems to be blue birds and rabbits in this little valley, and always the blue birds sing and the rabbits hop around.

The merriness of it all sickened him.

Kish rolled onto his stomach and glared fiercely at a small pink flower two inches from his nose.

The flower pointedly ignored him and continued to wave in the breeze. With a growl he uprooted the plant and flung it far across the valley.

Then he lay down once more and tried to sleep. This proved difficult since a simple question echoed on in his head.

Just as the comforting shadow of sleep had fallen over him a soft voice shook him from his near-sleep state.

"Are you…sad?"

Kish clenched his eyes tightly shut, forcing away the wavering image of bright green eyes.

"Are you?" The voice persisted worriedly; large emerald orbs wavered in his mind's eye. A small hand landed on his, gripping his wrist with pitiful determines.

He shot up and away from whoever was holding his hand, sitting there beside him was…nothing.

Golden orbs blinked a few times then he crossed his legs and hunched over with a sigh. Something was bothering him about that girl. That stupid little girl.

* * *

Ryou sighed once again. They were out shopping for that new chair he had been wanting for months now. 'They' being him and Hitomi.

Now it wasn't like he had anything against Hitomi, or the fact that she could now actually speak the human language, no it wasn't like he disliked her or anything.

It was just…she had been acting strange recently. She'd space out for a few seconds to almost half an hour at times.

And she was quiet, not just when she spaced out, but she just didn't talk much, and he knew she could talk now, so it wasn't like she didn't know how to fraise things.

No she just wasn't acting like she used to, joyfully chatting along like she used to, even when half of what she said he couldn't understand, or curiously inspecting everything she saw, no. She would just walk quietly beside him, occasionally going blank-eyed.

Ryou had almost pleaded with Keiichiro to let Hitomi stay behind; she could take care of herself, so why couldn't she stay at the café for an hour or so without him?

But Keiichiro simply smiled and shoved the two out the door. How nice of him.

Ryou was shaken from his thoughts when a hand landed on his arm, blinking his head clear he turned to look at Hitomi.

"What?" He asked, emerald eyes stared up at him for a moment of silence, then she blinked and her vision cleared.

"I'm going that way," She lifted one arm to point towards the trees lining the edge of the city.

"Alright, as long as you can find your way back," The blonde agreed slowly, unsure of what to say.

Hitomi nodded and walked off slowly. Ryou blinked a few times then he continued on down the street.

* * *

She passed through the tree line quietly, only the occasional snapping of twigs under her feet and rustle of leaves alerted animals of her coming.

She wadded through thick under growth until the trees ended and a valley slid into her view.

Long fresh grass carpeted the valley, bright flowers dotted the green ever which-way, a small group of birds flew overhead and a rabbit poked its' nose up above the grass.

Hitomi let out her breath in a hushed gasp, emerald orbs soaked up the scene eagerly, forgetting for a moment why she had come.

She took a step into the valley, but tripped over a rock rooted in her path. Letting out a small cry she gripped a low a branch of a tree with one flailing hand to stop her fall.

"Who's there?" Someone asked, from farther into the valley. Hitomi looked up and straightened, as she did so the person fell into her field of vision.

Golden orbs widened and emerald ones followed suit.

"You…" His voice was barely a whispered, but it carried through the air to her ears all the same.

"Ah-" She began to speak but stopped as her palm scrapped across the rough bark of the tree she had grabbed.

Wincing she withdrew her hand from the tree and turned it over to look at her palm. Three tiny cuts ranged across it, but despite their size the cuts oozed out a lot of blood.

She looked up again, feeling his gaze on her. Orbs of gold stared back blank, the same as his expression. Hitomi took a step forward, bringing her clenched hands up to her chest in worry.

Taking another step forward she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Slowly her gaze turned downward to a flower, her hands followed and fell down.

Looking up again she took yet another step toward Kish. Twisting her hands around each other she tried to speak once more.

"What is it?" Kish demanded he tried to glare at her and failed. There was just something so childishly untouchable about her.

'_I must be going soft,'_ He thought with a sigh, "So what did you come here for?" He asked out loud, staring down at her.

Emerald eyes blinked, "I came here for you, of course," She said simply and smiled softly up at him, emerald eyes crinkling with joy.

He blinked at her, taken aback, then briefly shook his head to clear it, "Why would you come to see me?" He demanded crossly.

Hitomi smiled again and walked forward until she was even with him and then plopped down onto the ground below him, "Because I like you," She stated simply.

Kish took a step back and blinked several times, "Huh?" He asked loudly, getting only a gentle smile in return.

* * *

"Ryou, did you find that chair?" Keiichiro asked, leaning out of the kitchen.

"Yes. I found several, but I didn't like the colours," The blonde replied stopping outside the kitchen.

"…Okay then, where's Hitomi?" He asked cheerfully.

"You mean she's not here?" Ryou scratched his head, "She headed off somewhere an hour ago, I thought she'd be back by now,"

"Ryou,"

"Yeah?"

"You're a really bad babysitter,"

With that Keiichiro whisked back into the kitchen, leaving a blinking Ryou behind.

* * *

So how was that? I know like nothing happened in it, but oh well...I guess I need to plan more, if I want a decent plotline! Still have to tie up those lose ends, so far I think I've just managed to comfuse myself... Anyways, please leave a review! 


	23. A Little Light

I'm sorry, this is a day late! ((sob)) I tried uploading the document yesterday, but it wouldn't work, and then the help center place thingie is totally evil and just made me more ticked so...that's my excuse!

Yesh you guys..I'm one week late and then all of you are? Nah, just kidding, I made a new fwend! (no that is not a spelling mistake) So...yay me! I'm afraid this isn't too good a chappie, and it doesn't really succeed in anything and it's just this drabble thing, and Kish is probably odd in it and all...I hope to improve the next chapter (although that could take some work...)

YAY! 148 REVIEWS!! That's two away from half-way to 200! ...ohmygosh! ((faints))

Dislclaimer: _S_: (_n_) disavowel, **disclaimer**; denial of any connection with or knowledge of. (lol, I looked it up!)

* * *

"If you're trying to persuade me to give back that cat thing, you can forget it," Kish informed her irritably floating a foot or two in the air. 

"What?" Hitomi asked curiously, large emerald eyes blinked in the sunlight curiously.

The alien boy crossed his arms and muttered 'never mind' under his breath. A giggle rose from Hitomi's throat, "Are you sulking?" She asked laughing, jade orbs dancing with mirth.

Kish turned his head to stare blankly down at the laughing girl, a corner of his mouth twitched of its' own accord, making him even more sulky.

Once her laughter had faded away she gazed up at the sulky alien.

"Why are you sulking?" She asked, amusement laced in her voice. Golden orbs turned to look down at her for a moment, and then he turned away and resettled his position in the air,

"I'm not sulking," He informed her crossly. A soft giggle glided through the air to his ear,

"Of course not," Hitomi agreed happily.

"Yes," Kish said with all seriousness, sending the girl into gales of laughter.

* * *

It was one-thirty by his laptops' built in clock when Hitomi stepped quietly into his bedroom. 

"There you are," The blonde sighed, "Where have you been?" He asked curiously his blue eyes following her walk across the room to his bed.

"Just out for a walk," Hitomi replied simply, sitting down on the bed with a bounce.

"A two-hour long walk?" Ryou asked, raising one eyebrow, settling down in his squeaky chair.

"I got lost," Hitomi replied easily, and blinked at his chair, "Your new chair looks just like the old one," She remarked innocently.

"…You know, I hadn't noticed,"

* * *

"Pai!" A voice called, dragging out the name as long as humanly possible. 

"What?" Said alien snapped in response, his eyes not leaving the computer screen in front of him.

"I'm **_Booooooored_**…!" Kish complained floating through the doors on his back.

With supreme willpower, Pai did not roll his eyes, "You just got back; can you not be bored for five minutes?" The mauve alien asked instead.

"Nooooooooope," Kish drawled from somewhere behind the other.

"What's Tart doing?" Pai asked, usually the two would be waging a small war over strawberries.

"He's building a shrine to the deceased strawberries,"

Pai raised one eyebrow and looked up at the other.

"Okay so I don't know what he's doing," Kish whined, giving into Pai's awesome eyebrow-raising talent.

"No, I was wondering if you knew what deceased means, Tart making a shrine to dead strawberries is completely rational," The mauve alien said blankly.

Kish cocked his head to one side, "Really?" He asked curiously.

"Yes," Pai replied, turning his attention back to his tic-tac-toe game, leaving Kish to free himself of his boredom alone.

-------------------------------------------

"_Are you? Please answer me!" Her voice chased him through his sleep, forming dreams of emerald eyes and pleading words._

"_Please!" She called, gripping his arm tight, "Please, are you sad?" He shook her off his arm and raced away, he just needed to get away._

"_Why are you running?" She cried from somewhere behind him, he hesitated for a moment then sped up, "Why won't you listen to me!"_

_He froze. The words he had spoken, now said by another…him and irony didn't get along very well. But all the same, the words echoed in his head. Turning he stared back at the girl, pinpricks of tears in her bright green eyes._

"_I am," He replied after a long moment of silence, the words slowly easing out into the air. Slowly a small, kind, smile formed on her lips, she cocked her head to one side slightly._

"_You shouldn't be," She told him softly._

Kish shot up, the grasp of sleep suddenly shattered. Slowly his breathing slowed down to a normal pace and he opened his balled fists.

Golden orbs turned upwards, "I hate dreams!" He yelled up to the heavens, as if they would listen, and stop the flow of dreams to his head.

* * *

Hitomi gazed out the window, down at the city barely lit by the early morning sun. A light fog dusted the streets and a few cars raced down the empty streets. 

Jade eyes glazed and distant, her thoughts somewhere else, not in the plain room. As the sun lifted above an office building she rose stiffly from her knees and made her way towards the door.

Ryou blinked blearily in the sunlight and sat up groggily, "Hitomi?" He called after the girl halfway out the door, "What's wrong?"

She grinned cheerfully and waved goodbye across the room, then she closed the door softly behind her.

"You're too awake for six am," Ryou informed the door. It didn't reply.

----------------------------------------

"Achoo!" Hitomi sniffed and looked around once again. Streets slowly filling with the morning bustle of the city, look-alike buildings and shops opening up.

Why did everything have to look the same?

She peeked into shop windows, looking for something familiar. After twenty minutes of searching she spotted a patch of green above the store roofs and hurried in that direction.

A line of thick trees sprouted just beside the asphalt. Smiling happily she trotted into the foliage. After a few more minutes of wandering lost the plants broke away and formed the little valley.

Letting out a content sigh she walked slowly through the grass that whispered against her skirt and parted to form of trail behind her. Stopping to pluck a bright violet flower from the ground she felt someone's eyes on her. Straightening she looked up.

And green met gold.

"Are you…always here?" Hitomi asked slowly, brushing a mosquito off her hand.

Kish glowered down at her for a moment or two. "Take it back," He said finally, "I don't want it anyways, useless, that's what it is," He huffed tossing a small orb that glowed faintly to her uncaringly.

Dropping the flower she reached out with her hands to catch the ball.

"Now leave me alone," He instructed offhandedly, disappearing, leaving only ripples of air to remind her that he had been there at all.

She lowered her gaze to the small orb in her hands. Light flickered in it, or maybe on the surface of it, she couldn't tell. It was as if the globe was made solely of the light that danced with no purpose.

Hitomi lifted it up to her eye level, emerald eyes gazing into the light, mirrored in her own eyes. Slowly, the orb rose a few inches off her palm, hovered in front of her face for a few seconds, and then shot into her forehead.

A soft 'ah' of surprise slipped from her mouth as warmth gradually spread through her body, filling her mind slowly, as if the knowledge of how to do so was half-forgotten.

Then everything was blank. Where she was, and who she was simply vanished, along with her building memories. Just like that, they were gone.

Feeling nothing yet at the same time feeling empty, she let her feet move of their own accord, dragging her around like a limp doll. Soon she found herself facing a wall.

No…it was a door, wasn't it? She could go through it…but how? As if in answer to her question a girl slammed open the door, which in turn, slammed across Hitomi's face.

Tumbling backwards from the force of it she heard a voice cry, "Oh no! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" Then things became hazy, and when she opened eyes she couldn't remember closing an expanse of white filled her vision.

No, not quite, there was something brown over there…Turning her head to the right a dark brown desk fell into her view. A small sense of familiarity itched at her mind.

"Finally conscious, huh?" A voice asked from out of her field of vision, slowly the source walked into her view.

"…What…?" The word came from her mouth slowly as if such a thing were foreign to her.

"Lettuce really bonked you, didn't she?" He asked conversationally. Confusion bubbled up to plaster across her face, filling her emerald eyes.

"You don't…remember?" He asked slowly blue eyes reflected her confusion.

Remember… Remember? Suddenly a wave crashed over her.

_He looked taken aback "No, well I guess so," He scratched his head…_

_"Up, up, up!" She chanted merrily, startling Ryou out of bed, "Up?" She asked innocently…_

_He wavered on his feet, blood gushing from his arm and various other injuries. Blue eyes glazed over…_

"What are you doing?!" Ryou yelled, startled, grabbing Hitomi as she tried to push through the half-open window.

"No!" She screamed in response, fighting him off madly.

"Stop it!" The blonde ordered loudly, ducking a failing arm.

"No!" She repeated louder, thrashing in his hold, "No, no…no…" She finished weakly, giving up and falling to the floor, in doing so dragging down a bemused Ryou down with her.

"What's wrong?" Ryou asked after a moment, his voice soft, he didn't want to startle her into attempting to jump from the window again.

"No…" Hitomi whispered gazing down at the floorboards with watery eyes.

"Hitomi?"

"Nya…"

Ryou let out a relieved sigh, "I think I can safely say you're back to normal," He said more to himself than to the girl next to him. As if in reply there was a small burst of light and a small white kitten replaced the girl.

"If I were someone like Ichigo I'd probably hug you," The blonde informed the cat dryly.

"Mew?" Ryou smiled at her question,

"Yeah I'll feed you," He answered, rising to his feet he led the kitten out of his room and down to the kitchen, he was sure they had one can of cat food left…

* * *

"Uh, Shirogane-san, I just wanted to know if your friend is alright…" Lettuce said shyly, her gaze directed towards the floor. 

"Nya," Hitomi replied, winding around the girls' feet. Ryou lifted the kitten up to his shoulder,

"She said she's doing fine," He repeated for the cat. And with that he walked out of the kitchen, leaving a confused Lettuce behind.

* * *

So how was that? Not my best work, but I think I'll scrape off with a 2+...what the hell? Two days of being back at school and already it's ruling my life! Anyways, not update until four reviews. ((nods)) yup, that's my standard, so please leave a review! 


	24. Shopping

Okay, so I got home, turned on my computer and started wading through my ff net emails. But I felt toolazy to reply to the reviews, and just upload this chapter, so for the first time all reviews will be included in this chappie.

I realised that like three reviewers were confused, so I'll attempt to clear up some confusion. The way Hitomi got back to normal was the cat soul/spirit/thingie was given back to her. It was the sparkly ball thing Kish gave her... I'm not very good at this...

**Berri**: Heh, yeah I do try my hardest with the aliens to make the scenes funny, and I'd say you're right!...I think. Ah the dream..was just a dream. Eh heh heh..if you're still confused I'll try explaining it better

**X-Hazelnut-X**: Yup, gotta pay your respects to the strawberries! I myself, although liking being able to create the other half, prefer the cat Hitomi. Confusion is generally good.

**Xanthera**: It is? I , uh, mean...of course..! I don't know either...maybe I'll just kill everyone off and call it even. I'm glad you liked the dream, cause me myself hated it. Finding out more could take a while because the plot is taking another random jump...that way! ((points))

** fanXforever**: Well, if you figure out what confused you, maybe I can help clear it up!

**Silver Artic Wolf**: I love that! 'Sort of hazy, like the morning is here' ((spazes)) Thanks, and you're right! Julie took it back...

So, I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter, I cut out like...A page's worth of writing so I hope it doesn't seem short... Huzzah!

**Dislcaimer**: I am soon to be the proud owner of a potatoe clock, but aside from that-nothing.

* * *

"Up…?" Hitomi asked quietly, Ryou shifted the tiniest bit in his sleep, "Up?" She asked louder, getting no response from the slumbering blonde, "Up!" She called. Managing only to get Ryou to roll over, "**_UP_**!" The cat girl screamed at the top of her lungs. 

Not only did the boy yelp and topple from bed, but also downstairs someone dropped something that fell with a crash.

"Hitomi!" Ryou rounded on the blinking girl, "I told to stop doing that!" He yelled. Hitomi looked down guiltily, her bottom lip prodding out in a small pout.

The blonde stared at her impassively for a few moments, and then sighed, "Never mind," He grumbled standing up.

Instantly Hitomi grinned like a child just handed a pound of candy and skipped out of his bedroom and down to the kitchen.

"Why do I feel used?" Ryou asked the walls. They didn't answer him.

* * *

"What?" Hitomi asked curiously as they left another store. 

"What, what?" Ryou asked puzzled, glancing down at the cat girl.

"What," She prodded the small scrap of paper he held in his hand with the few things they needed to pick up scrawled on it.

"Oh, you mean what next," Ryou confirmed out loud to himself, "Err… we just need potatoes," (**A/N**: Yeah, yeah. I know!) He replied turning down the next street, hoping there would be some sort of food store.

"N-Ne-Necz?" Hitomi stuttered uncertainly. Ryou sighed inwardly; here we go again.

"Next. Ne-xt," He said slowly. Hitomi scrunched up her face, resulting in quite a humorous effect, completely focused,

"Nex?"

"Nex_t_," Ryou repeated again patently, yanking the cat girl out of the way of a car.

"Next?" Hitomi asked slowly, emerald eyes blinking up at him innocently.

"Yeah," The blonde replied with a sigh and was instantly bombarded with chants of 'next' for two minutes, earning odd looks from passerbies.

"Hitomi!" A low, yet still feminine, voice called out from somewhere behind the pair. Ryou froze, shoulders shooting up to his ears. _'Oh lord no'_ He prayed silently and Hitomi looked around curiously.

A large force slammed into the cat girl, startling both her and Ryou immensely.

"It's been so long! Over a month, maybe even two!" The force that had attacked the cat girl asked in a voice that forcibly reminded Ryou of a saxophone.

Hitomi looked at Ryou with jade eyes filled with a mixture of terror and confusion. But the blonde was too busily fending off a headache by rubbing his temples to notice.

Before either of them had realized it they were in the clothing store (**A/N**: From chapter ten) and the force that had dragged them there, know as Iona, was fussing over Hitomi once more.

Deciding to salvage what dignity he still might carry Ryou left to find the potatoes on his list, leaving Hitomi in the hands of Iona.

Nice Ryou. Very nice.

When the blonde returned maybe half an hour later after wandering around aimlessly, he found a clearly puzzled Hitomi in the middle of a muddle of clothing while Iona chatted merrily to the cat girl.

After ten minutes of rapidly shrinking the mound of clothes to just a few, the two almost ran from the store. Well, Ryou half-ran, Hitomi was dragged along like a kite.

Once the very tip of the pink palace that was the café came into view Ryou slowed to a stop and released Hitomi.

After getting his breath back he turned to say something to the cat girl and stopped suddenly. Blue eyes blinked stupidly at the girl for a moment.

She had tried to cross her arms at an odd angle and had squeezed her eyes as much as she possibly could without closing them, making her entire face look scrunched up.

Ryou then smiled widely, holding back a chuckle to no avail, Hitomi blinked at him.

"Alright, sorry for leaving you behind," The blonde chortled and lead the cat girl back to the café, to his mild surprise she actually followed him, trotting along happily.

* * *

It was sometime at night, by his bang-on internal clock, when Ryou woke up. Slowly mind you. 

The room had an odd feeling to it, like there was hazy smog filling it, swallowing everything up, and extinguishing all life…

He had felt this before… The thought was slow to rise to the top of his mind, like a bubble through molasses.

Eager for sleep he rolled over and blinked slowly at Hitomi. There was something wrong… He squinted at her basic outline light dimly by the faded moonlight.

Realization hit him suddenly compared to his other thoughts.

…Hitomi…wasn't…breathing…

* * *


	25. Breathe

I probably could've written this Wednesday, and probably should've. But I got absorbed in watching my palm-pilot verse itself in chess (so...much...beeping...) and writting some random other thing that I completely forgot to write this chapter, and do my math homework. So I did it during gym class, considering I can't take part in volleyball ((sob)) oh well, the teacher can't eat me now!

The thought occured to me while writting this pointless author's note to check the total amount of reviews I've gotten. I fell out of my chair. Honestly, I did. And it hurt. I mean...seriously, there are much better stories out there without as many reviews... I feel so loved...

You may notice (though I highly doubt it) That I changed the title of chapter 24 to name this one...which reminds me... WOOOT! I've reach chapter 25! I had no idea what to expect of this story, thought I'd end up deleting it...but now...((sniff) you guys rock! x)

** Berri**: Yes I couldn't help myself, the idea of Hitomi screaming Ryou out of bed was too precious! Yes, he isn't the most reliable guy around, is he? Heh heh heh... yes, there used to be more...But then I deleted them. Why? Because the mushroom told me too. ((cuddles hat)) Thank-you!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own. Just playing in the sandbox (picked that up from someone's disclaimer...can't remember who though...)

* * *

Ryou's insides went cold and suddenly breathing seemed to take all his willpower. Frantically he felt for her pulse, soon he could feel it, faint and faltering. 

A small feeling of relief fluttered through his being then dread returned.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

His mind raced at full-speed through his archives of knowledge, coming up empty. There was CPR… but wasn't that for when people were drowning?

His heart pounding loudly in his ears Ryou ran his fingers through his blonde hair, layered in thin sweat.

He could feel the air behind him grow heavier, black nothingness pressing in on him. His head started to throb, his mind searching for an answer to no avail.

And still the cat girl hadn't taken even a single breath. Worry raced through his being, how long had it been? What if it had been hours before he woke?

What should he do? What _could_ he do?

His head started to hurt more and deeply buried tears began to slowly surface. Too filled with dread to bother pushing the feelings down again blue eyes began to mist over.

No. Now was not a good time to cry, right now he had to save Hitomi. Had to save a life… But how could he do that?

* * *

There was nothing. No colour, no shade. Everything, and nothing was simply…there. Glazed-over green eyes gazed straight ahead, her head stuffed with wool. 

Then there was something among the nothingness. Something prickling at her senses. She couldn't say for sure, but she was positive it was black. Inside and out.

A trickle of dread ran down her body as her vacant emerald orbs combed through the nothing until a large, dark, shadow came into view.

Fear struck her like lightning, freezing her down to the core. Her eyes widened in recognition.

She opened her mouth to scream for help, but the words caught in her throat and refused to budge.

The cat-shaped shadow approached her slowly; with each deliberate step it took a stab of terror would pierce her skin.

She tried to turn, tried to run to get away and just escape it all like in the past, but her feet were rooted to the ground, she couldn't move an inch.

Of their own accord her emerald orbs turned to stare fearfully at the large shadow cat, slowly coming closer, malice in its' blood-red eyes.

Pinpricks of tears stung at her eyes and she closed them against it. Against everything.

In her head she was screaming, screaming wordless cried of fear and regret. At last three words rose out of the yells and she shrieked with all her might,

"_**SAVE ME RYOU**!"_

* * *

The blonde stared with silent terror at the still girl. Mist clouded his vision as the thought rose to the top of his mind. 

There was nothing he could do. After it all…He still was worthless on his own, he still couldn't…

Closing his eyes against the tears threatening to spill over he clench his fist as wave after wave of coldness raced through his insides.

Nearly insane with worry, fear and growing sorrow Ryou opened his eyes and gripped the near-death girl by her upper-arms.

"Breathe!" He shouted at the lifeless body. He almost stopped breathing himself when slowly, emerald eyes opened.

"R-Ryou…?" A crackling voice rose from Hitomi's throat. The girl had no time to do anything else for she was enveloped in a bruising hug as Ryou held her close.

"D-don't ever, ever scare me like that again," His voice cracked and blue eyes threatened to overflow.

Slowly, still unsure of what was what, Hitomi lifted her hands to return the foreign idea of a hug.

The blonde shuddered and broke. A sob slipped through his lips as a small tear raced down his cheek.

* * *

Yeah...I know, that was short, but..neh. I didn't get enough hugs today...and no hugs from Dylan, so I didn't get to sniff him (don't go there. Just, don't) So...that's my crappy reason. I just didn't want to add anything. ...And now I have no idea where to send it. How about... ((spins in a circle with eyes closed)) That way! ((points)) Heh, leave a review please! 


	26. The Unknown

Hello! Today I hope to have a very short Author's note cause my friend's waiting impatiently for me to send a chain-mail e-mail...to myself from her -.-; Anyways reviews came very fast, and if I said I wasn't shocked, I'd be lying. Thank you guys so much! 31 reviews away from the big 200... wow.

I'm bringing back in Kish, and adding a pinch of that marshmellow fluff I received several chapters back...So...neh. My friend's gonna get ticked pretty soon...

**Berri**: Yes, if I happened to kill off Hitomi I think a small angry mob of people would start stalking me... I should explain it to you, I really should, but I hope to be able to do that in chapter twenty...eight, or nine...? I'm glad you liked the ending!

**Disclaimer**: Too lazy and too un-creative to think of something clever to put here...so...whatever...

* * *

The two had sat in each others' arms long after Ryou had stopped crying and until the first dulled rays of sunlight oozed through the window all they had, and all they needed, was each other. 

When Hitomi began to doze off he gently released her and placed her down on the bed. But he had no intention of going back to sleep.

Instead he sat over her, lost in thought. What had caused her to nearly die? Was it some kind of internal shut down?

Or was it… something he would never understand?

He contemplated this until his clock read six am and the sun had grown slightly stronger. Weary and still fighting off a headache he crawled into bed and slept through the afternoon.

-------------------------------------------------------------

A pounding knock vibrated from the door and he rolled over groggily Hitomi blinking off sleep herself.

The door opened and Ichigo peeked around it. She spotted the bleary blonde boy, still half-risen under the bed sheets, then she spotted Hitomi, rubbing sleep out of her eyes, lying comfortably beside the boy.

She blinked. The she slapped her palms over her pink face, "GAH!" She screamed and slammed the door shut.

"Oh gee thanks," Ryou muttered and dove under the blankets once more.

"Nya?" Hitomi asked, blinking down at the lump snuggling his pillow. Ryou groaned and muttered some random syllables.

The cat girl smiled without realizing it and scampered down the hall and stairs, her white nightgown whispering with very step she took.

As she reached the bottom of the steps a few voices reached her ears.

"No way Ichigo, it's not like Ryou would sleep with some random girl in his bed," Mint rolled her eyes and took a sip of tea.

"But I saw them!" The strawberry protested angrily.

"Maybe you thought you saw a girl…" Lettuce suggested nervously, a tinge of pink of her cheeks as she swept up some broken china.

"You need proof," Zakuro informed her in passing.

"Nya?" Hitomi blinked from the bottom of the stairs, all five girls blinked up at her.

"That's her!" Ichigo pointed to the cat girl, "She's the one," She said confidently.

Hitomi blinked blankly as she was whisked away to a table by the strawberry, Lettuce and Pudding in tow.

"So are you two, like, together?" Ichigo asked interestedly, Hitomi merely blinked, not understanding her words.

"Do you sleep with Ryou every night?" Pudding asked with cheerful curiosity, causing Lettuce to flash to bight red.

"Do you love him…or something?" Mint asked interestedly despite herself.

"L-…love…?" Hitomi murmured blankly, emerald eyes blinking innocently.

* * *

Ryou woke half an hour later, and sleepily set about getting dressed and trudged downstairs to find his missing kitten. 

"You should ask him!" Ichigo encouraged a trifle loudly as the blonde entered the viciously pink room.

He looked in the direction her voice was coming from and spotted Hitomi seated at a table, surrounded by the mews.

He sighed and walked across the room, the girls looked up briefly as he approached. Hitomi smiled and stood, trotting to his side.

"Hungry," She told him cheerfully. He could help but let a small smile slip across his face. Suddenly she was yanked back into the mob of brightly coloured girls.

Ferocious whispering went on and every once and a while someone would glance his way and let out a giggle.

The blond couldn't help but feel awkward. Suddenly Hitomi was shoved in his direction and the mews scattered around the café as if nothing had happened.

"Ryou?" Emerald orbs blinked up at him innocently.

"Hmm…?" He returned his attention to the cat girl in front of him.

"Du-do," She corrected herself, "You love m-me?" She blinked up naively.

There was an achingly long silence as Ryou stared dumbstruck at the little blonde girl. He glanced around the café until Lettuce bobbed into sight.

She went faintly pink and smiled guiltily at him with a small wave. Ryou sighed,

"Come one, let's get you some breakfast," He grabbed the cat girls' hand and led her into the kitchen, she followed happily.

"Aww, he didn't answer," Ichigo sighed with mock sorrow.

Zakuro looked thoughtful for a moment or two, "When did she start showing up?" She asked finally.

"Oh, maybe a month ago…" Lettuce answered wiping down a table.

"Sometime after that kitten appeared," Zakuro said simply.

There was a small silence while the mews contemplated this.

* * *

"Love…" Hitomi murmured to herself quietly that night lying in bed next to Ryou. 

The word wasn't one she knew, it sounded slightly familiar but she couldn't easily translate it in her mind.

"Ryou?" No answer, she shifted her face closer and peered at his face in the dim lighting.

The blonde was fast asleep, his slow breathing playing tag with his bangs. She closed her eyes and curled up into herself.

"Love…" The word slid out of her mouth on a soft sigh and hovered in the air for a moment or two before slowly fading away.

Ryou woke late the next morning alone, trudging sleepily to the kitchen hungry he wondered idly where Hitomi had gone.

"Hitomi? Oh she wandered out an hour ago," Keiichiro replied when he asked. The blonde nodded slowly, eyelids drooping.

There was something he really hated about sleeping in. It made him as tired as waking early; it was like his body had this delicate balance in how much sleep it needed.

With zombie-like grace he climbed upstairs and tumbled into the shower.

-----------------------------------------------------

Hitomi trotted cheerfully down the streets, watching the sun and clouds play tag in the bright blue sky.

Of course, she had no reason to be outside and didn't know a thing about traffic rules and when to walk and when not too, but she was out all the same.

As the cat girl slowly approached the centre of the city and things got busier and busier there was a loud, echoing scream.

Hitomi stopped and cocked her head to one side, wondering what was screaming so loudly.

People froze mid-step as the shriek returned louder. Winds whipped down the street, as two large wings flapped loudly.

Within moments the crowded road was completely empty, but for the few slower people fleeing in fear.

Hitomi was silent, staring up at the giant bird in silent awe. Its' great black wings would dance in many facetted colours when the sunbeams caressed it lightly.

Its' beak was long and hooked, shimmering spotted black. Orange orbs glared crazily over its' beak at the buildings as if they had offended it greatly.

Hitomi could make out three blurred forms, obscured by the sunlight and shimmering heat waves.

With a bloodcurdling cry the bird brought back its' neck then spat out globs of jelly-like fire, reducing nearby buildings to ash.

Smoke burned at her eyes and tore at her throat, trying to see through watery eyes the cat girl dashed away from the flames.

She paused gasping for breath to fill smoke-clogged lungs with clean air and glanced up fearfully towards the giant bird.

One of the figures hovering dangerously close to the fires blocked out the midafternoon sun and she could see him clearer.

Her heart jumped up her throat and a pang in her forehead sounded as if in respond to the memory itself.

Golden eyes swept over the growing destruction with a mocking smile. Then his gaze landed on her and the smile fell.

Chocking back a bout of coughs she felt a layer of frost settle just under her skin. Then she felt the most interesting sensation of being shoved from her own body.

Of losing all conscious and thought. She watched blankly as her body stood there, her emerald eyes calm and sure.

Who…who was that?

* * *

Because my friend over I don't know what to say...umm...leave a review please?? ((shuffles around guitar case))  
Cassie: Monkey's apple!  
... -.-; right... Oh! If you're wondering about the chapter title...my friend named it so, if it doesn't make sense, then don't worry about it. I'll probably change it later...ummm, or not...  
Cassie: Kira is mean  
...((sob))  



	27. Various Thoughts

Heh, I wrote this yesterday while my friend was over. We spent probably around two hours doing seperate things, she played a video game while I replied to reviews, reviewed, wrote three pages of this chapter and other such duties I feel compelled to do on my computer. Then we made cookies and chased each other around my house with spachulas covered in batter. Then we dunked our heads in dirty water in my tub and laughed and laughed and laughed.

I really liked how this chapter came out, I guess Cassie is like...a muse attractor because when she was around I could actually write natually, not squeeze some semblance of it out. Anyways, thanks out to you reviewers, you're all so good to me! ((sniff))

**Disclaimer**: ...Want a candy-cane?

* * *

A few moments passed as more and more building went up in flames and collapsed to the ground like a crumbled cookie. 

The gigantic bird shrieked once more in the air, flapping its' great wings sending waves of harsh air to power the fires below.

She didn't move. It wasn't that she couldn't, no, and it wasn't quite that she didn't want to but she ignored that logical voice in her head and gazed up into the smoke littered air.

Pools of molten gold gazed down in return, his sickly pale skin a contrast to the thick black clouds of smoke billowing up from below.

Emerald strained to read gold; she shifted through his walls one by one.

Gold stayed blank, while himself trying to read what secrets he held.

Slowly he lifted one hand and pointed towards the girl. The bird froze, flapping its' massive wings slower and slower as two orange orbs turned towards the boy.

"Kill her," He directed icily. He didn't need to know what lay beneath; he just needed to get rid of it.

* * *

Hitomi stared wide-eyed at all the destruction around. The smoke and fire no longer itched at her eyes and stung her throat, and her emotions were dulled, detached from her. 

But all the same she couldn't help but wonder who would bring such destruction, just for the sake of it. Just to relish in others' pain.

And then there was the gold. The beautiful pools of gold that gazed down calm and unmoving. What right did someone so cruel, so corrupt, had to have such wonderful eyes?

Or was it different? Was it because somewhere deep inside, there was equal pools of kindness, of sympathy?

Hitomi didn't know, nor did she need to. All she wanted…

The bird gave a hair-raising shriek and plummeted down towards the unmoving girl. Wings tucked back dancing in various hues of red, orange and yellow in the firelight.

Its' great beak opened and ginger eyes stared down with inhuman insanity and anger.

All she ever had wanted ever since that day…was simply…

The bird struck the silent, unwavering blonde girl. A heavy cloud of crimson blood blasted into the air, staining the birds' feathers and falling down onto the pavement as if the clouds themselves were bleeding.

All she wanted was to…

Emerald orbs clouded over and a small, kind smile slipped across her face and she fell back to the ground blood pouring out around her.

To simply _live_.

* * *

"Are you there yet?" Ryou demanded once more, irritation dancing a tango with the words. 

"Almost, Shirogane!" Ichigo snapped back through her pendant, running as fast as she could through the streets, her friends at her heels.

There was a pause as the blonde stared with dried eyes at the nearly blank computer screen, waiting for the video response from Masha.

"We're there," A calm voice that could only belong to Zakuro said simply and shortly.

Instead of feeling even slightly relieved he grew more agitated as he waited for the visual signals from the pink robot to reach them.

"Oh no…" A soft voice that could've belonged to three of the mews whispered. There was a small bleep and a box opened.

In it the five mews stood fully transformed, Kish hovered several feet in the air over burning and smoldering buildings, a large raven bird nearby.

The alien boy's gaze was focused on something down on the other side of the street.

Lying unmoving, left shoulder a blood mess leaking over the ground, emerald eyes calm and unfocused was Hitomi.

Ryou stood immediately in response to the initial shock; blue eyes stared down dumbly at the screen.

"_Shit…_" The word ran through his head and a mud puddle of emotions dripped through his blue eyes.

* * *

"Get up, come on, it's not safe here!" Hitomi cried desperately tears clinging to her eyelashes. 

"No," Was the calm voice, still carrying threads of a child's' in it.

"But we'll _die_!" Hitomi shrieked fear winding in and out of her being in an endless pattern.

The girl gave her a calm, comforting smile and brushed away her bangs in a motherly fashion,

"Have faith," She breathed emerald orbs filled with confidence and… something… different.

"Have faith in _what_!" The cat girl screamed, a tear and its' companion running two identical tracks through the smoky grim on her face.

Blood slipped down Her arm, and although they were one and the same, there wasn't a drop of the crimson liquid on Hitomi's body.

The girl smiled, jade eyes kind, whilst their shadow was filled with worry and desperate fear. But she didn't answer and soon the girls' conscious faded away as she passed out and Hitomi stood alone, watching the pool of blood grow by the second.

* * *

The smoke was starting to prickle at his eyes and make his head feel light as a large thick bubble swelled up inside his chest and probe his lungs. 

Behind golden eyes he was frantic. Searching for an answer to his never-ending questions. It used to be so simple.

This was this and that was that. He had everything figured out; he had this perfect image of the world and the things in it.

But then suddenly he just…didn't know anymore. He started to look at things slightly differently and see the other side of people.

Suddenly he questioned everything. Who he was, and more importantly, what he felt. He used to be so sure.

He had everything in neat little boxes then a harsh wind wiped through and sent the objects flying from their containers, and scattered all over and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't put everything back where it belonged.

He wanted to know once more. He wanted to be able to believe in something tangible again. He wanted to answer his questions.

He wanted to know who he was, and what he felt and why things were they way they were.

That's why he lifted her limp, bloody, frame from the ground and took her away.

Because if she could start these questions, she could answer them.

* * *

I completely loved that last section...I don't know why. Maybe because I finally am using those words for more than msn names ((sweatdrop)) Anyways, hoped you liked and please leave a review! 


	28. Say The Word

Hi everybody! ((waves)) I'm sorry I couldn't get this out ealier, but despite all my efforts yesterday I just couldn't write. But then as I was about to go to sleep I got all these ideas...Which were forgotten the next morning. It seems like my muse if mainly active close to sleep. Which kinda sucks.

Anyways, thanks to all you reviewers! I enjoy reading your reviews (as strange as that may be) and it makes me happy that you people are enjoying readin my story! Now I have one small favour to ask... I hadn't realised until Xanthera pointed it out, that I had a love trangle in my hands. And now I'm afraid to squish it. So, if anyone reading this has a preference to who my (our) little kitty shuld be with, I'd greatly appreciate you telling me, I just want to make as many people happy with the results!

**Berri**: Yes, I realised while writing the last chapter that I seem to be trying to cause Hitomi as much pain as possible...I think I should tone it down a bit maybe... Awkwradness and Embarassment rule! ...Unless it happens to be effect me...then, not so much... Thank you, I'm glad I got something right!

**Disclaimer**: RWAR!!!

* * *

Muddied blue eyes stared at the screen. Ichigo was yelling something, but she went unheard. The image flickered, and flashed, then was fuzzed out and the computer let out a long, agonizing bleep that wavered in response to the screen.

"Ryou, Hitomi's disappeared," Keiichiro called from his spot where letters and numbers merged together to form a language few knew.

The blonde slowly sat down again, "Figures," He muttered into his hands.

Kish stared moodily at the girl on the floor. Her right shoulder was wrapped in messy, blood spotted white bandages and her pale blonde hair splayed out around her face.

Golden orbs flickered with irritation as his olive locks floated around his sickly pale face as he bobbed slowly two feet from the ground.

It seemed like forever until emerald eyes stirred and flicked open. Slowly they drifted around until they locked with gold.

A smile danced across her lips, "Hello," A voice slipped out of her mouth a wavered in the air for a few moments.

"What?" He demanded, golden eyes narrowing to slits as he fought down questions and the bubble in his chest grew some.

"Why did you save me?" She asked bluntly, still looking innocent, if anything she seemed all the more naïve.

"W-what?" His tongue stumbled over the word and golden orbs blinked down at her.

"Thank you," Emerald orbs softened. Kish looked away and down.

"Tell me," Kish said after a moment of silence, she paused in the middle of getting up, jade fragments blinking at him curiously, "Tell me why I question everything,"

Emerald eyes softened and he didn't dare look towards her. There was a slight pause then her slender hand landed on his arm,

"Because you are learning," She told him softly, jade eyes gazing at him sympathetically. Kish jerked away from her and drifted back a few feet, the spot on his arm where she had touched suddenly felt so cold.

"What are you talking about? Even Pai gives better answer than that!" He spat at her, covering his confusion with a mask of irritation.

"That everything can't be simple, and life isn't straight forward, like you wish it were," The girl continued on jade eyes never straying from his pools of molten gold.

"And that everything you dislike," She added quietly, "Can't just go away,"

Golden orbs narrowed as he stared downwards. His olive locks caressed his cheeks in a slow, continuous motion. The he looked up and their eyes met. Neither said a word.

"Maybe…" She started softly then her voice grew slightly, "You can find the answers. And maybe, I can help,"

* * *

His digital clock shifted to one-thirty. The moon outside shone like a beacon between the faint, and few city stars that danced cheerily.

Ryou peeled his forehead off the glass and slowly let it thump onto it again; a small bell of pain went off in his head in response.

With a sigh he slid to the floor. He wasn't…as worried about Hitomi as he figured he should've been.

Sure, there was a small bubble of anxiety floating around inside his gut, but he felt calm and confident that she would be fine.

For some reason that made him feel…crappy. Overconfident. Ichigo would laugh if he told her that, he knew for sure.

The mews had told him briefly upon their return that Kish had snatched up the cat girl while she was laying on the ground bleeding to death.

On one hand, the alien boy could be trying to save for, for gad knows what reasons.

On the other, he was going to suck the soul out of her, and/or cause more pain. That one seemed to him more likely.

That probably should make him nervous, but for some reason it didn't. He had the feeling that she would be fine, and that was why he was still awake. Because he was trying to bully himself into being worried. It wasn't working very well so far.

* * *

Emerald orbs blinked slowly and she shuffled her right foot in front of her left once more.

It felt strange to be in control of her body once more, her limbs felt like bars of led and her stomach stirred sending mouthfuls of vomit up her throat as well as her head spinning.

But aside from that and the wound on her shoulder she was fine. Her memory of the past twenty-four hours was hazy and unclear, slipping through her fingers like sand whenever she tried to remember it.

So she didn't and instead focused of re-gaining the knowledge to move and control her body properly. Faded jade eyes gazed wobbly around her and as she staggered down the street like a drunk she couldn't help but notice that things around looked different.

Her brain worked slowly, like a slug gliding through thick mud it slowly processed that most of the buildings around her were smoldering, ashy ruins.

The sickly smell of smoke made her stomach heave, trying its' hardest to get rid of all its' contents.

"Guagh!" She gagged and fell to her knees, clasping her hands tightly over her mouth to hold down the vomit stinging at her throat, threatening to boil over.

It wasn't just her stomach heaving and pitching; her mind was spinning with thoughts and voices that she couldn't recognize.

And why…why were _they_ there? Why did she see…see those beautiful pools of molten gold that weaved in and out of her vision.

With a dry cough she straightened and wobbled down the street at her slow pace. Eventually, she'd find somewhere where she could rest and probably puke some more, but until then she'd force her body to work for her.

* * *

Kish was fighting with himself again. Not that it was something he did often, but he had taken it up as a recent hobby over the past couple of days.

And he was mildly irritated at himself for it. Well, not exactly for fighting with himself, but for what he was fighting about.

Although after talking with that girl for a long time her words had started to unravel the knot inside him, but then a small problem arouse.

The thought of Ichigo still made his stomach bubble with anticipation and a smile force its' way onto his face but then… There was _her_.

She didn't make him grin like an idiot or anything, but she was closer to him, and willing to listen. Ichigo…Ichigo would never listen to him.

Pain glided through his being and he rose from his sitting position slowly. He was confused, more confused than he had ever felt before. He needed things sorted out, as quickly as possible.

* * *

Yeah...That chapter was...neh. Nothing happened in it, and nothing went anywhere... now which way shall things go next time? ((points randomly)) THAT WAY! Leave a review please! 


	29. Definition Please

Enn...sorry this was a kinda slow update. I got around to writing this chappie on thurday then on friday (which I had off -wooot-) I fiddled with it until Shnnon came over. We ate cake on my kitchen floor with our hands, and had a icing war. But sadly that didn't really help my muse much...

But that aside, you guys are awesome! 190 reivews!! So amazing... So very amazing... Well, I hope this chapter is okay for you guys, I'm slowing some stuff down a bit for this one and the next before speeding up again... just getting too cluttered right now...you know?

Oh, and by the way, since I forgot to mention it last update, I have completely and _utterly_ changed and re-written my profile. It's now all... spoofified. So if you can, give it a quick visit if that interests you.

**Berri**: I think it's gonna be Ryou, since pretty much everyone seems in favour of him, but Kish isn't going anywhere either. Yes, I have been doing that lately, it really is quite useful, although writing in the dark is hard... Thank you, cookies are always welcome!

**Disclaimer**: Listen carefully: 'fan-fiction' what does that tell you?

* * *

Emerald eyes flew open as she shot upright. The dim room, lit only by the small crescent moon in the sky, slowly came into focus; she stared blankly down at her clenched fists.

A bead of sweat slid down her forehead like sticky molasses, and she moistened her dry mouth and took a long, shaky sigh, trying to calm herself.

The livid dream she had just woken from had been terrifying and unlike the other vague dreams she had had in the recent past this dream did not slip from her grip as she tried to remember it.

The large cat-shaped shadow had chased after her in darkness, two small pinpoints of light acres away from her and slowly fading.

Dragging her fingers through her locks of blonde hair to chase away the images and feeling, jade eyes squeezed shut.

"_What _is_ that?" _Hitomi almost demanded, emerald orbs filled with nervous curiosity.

"_That's a soul,"_ The other girl replied evenly, her calming presence settling the cat's nerves somewhat.

"_But…a soul can't…do…that…"_ Hitomi's voice faded away into nothing more than a whisper as the picture of a bloody Ryou wavered in her mind's eye.

"It's a cruel soul that was left to rot in purgatory, and eventually merged with other such souls and formed a physical being,"

Wide emerald orbs blinked up at the girl, _"Then…why…"_ Her voice was disappearing faster and faster.

The other girl smiled softly and stroked her long blonde hair lovingly.

Then the image disappeared from Hitomi's mind and she found herself back in the plain room sitting next to a slumbering Ryou.

The cat girl had staggered back to the café two days ago and the blonde boy had almost needed to start breathing through a paper bag he was so overcome with worry.

The picture had almost been enough to make the naïve girl laugh out loud if it weren't for her aching body and reeling mind.

Slowly Hitomi eased back under the sheets and cuddled closer towards the blonde boy. With a deep sigh she was enveloped by the comforting hold of sleep, and gradually, although she was awake to notice, by a pair of arms.

* * *

The cat girl tiptoed timidly down the stairs, jade eyes peering down across the large valentine café, dotted with couples and chatting high-school girls.

Ryou had asked (ordered…it's all the same) for her to not to venture down to the café again, after her previous encounter with the mews the boy had seemed a little… flustered around said girls.

As a waitress coloured to match the room perfectly fell down in a chair nearby Hitomi perked up. With a calming breath she trotted down the rest of the steps and scurried over to the redhead.

The waitress glanced up as Hitomi drew near and brown eyes blinked,

"Oh it's you, Ryou girlfriend!" Ichigo exclaimed and straightened somewhat from her previous pose.

"Ah, umm…" The cat girl searched her head for the words, this time the language came faster to her, "What is love?"

Ichigo blinked at her blankly for a moment then a smile slid across her face and her eyes got a distant look to them.

"Love is when… when you want to be near someone because you're happy with them, and want to protect them, because they mean so much to you," The strawberry explained slowly.

The little blonde girl gazed at her with large jade eyes and before either of them could speak Ryou stomped up from the basement.

The boy looked up from the ground and spotted the pair of girls seated at the table. Ichigo turned to look over her shoulder at him.

A large, malicious grin nearly split the strawberry's face in two. Ryou almost took a step back from the effect.

And then he charged across the room, grabbed the cat girls' wrist and dragged her back upstairs, a tinge of pink on his face.

Ichigo's laughter was heard upstairs in the blonde's bedroom for a quite a while.

* * *

The next afternoon Hitomi tried again, this time approaching the blue waitress cautiously.

"What is it?" The girl snapped the second the cat girl wandered into her gaze, her steady brown eyes meeting Hitomi's shy, uncertain green ones.

"Ah…" Something squirmed nervously inside the cat girl's gut, "What…is love?"

There was a slight pause as Mint gave her a blank look that turned thoughtful.

"Well… I guess it's when you feel attached or a great liking to someone," The waitress informed her offhandedly, taking a delicate sip of her tea.

Hitomi glanced around to find another waitress that looked approachable, but within a second a yellow-clad young girl had bounced up to her face.

"Hi!" Pudding chirped, "Ichigo says you wanna know what 'love' means!" The monkey-girl said cheerfully, her bright brown eyes excited.

Hitomi gave her a slow, stiff nod her emerald eyes wide with nervous shock.

"I'll show you!" Pudding then clasped her fingers around Hitomi's wrist, and dragged her across the café; the monkey's grip was surprisingly rather strong.

The yellow girl placed the cat in a chair and stuffed a fork-full of cake into Hitomi's mouth. The cat chewed slowly and swallowed, her dry mouth slow to work.

"You feel that, in your insides?" The waitress asked animatedly, "That's what love's like!" She continued after the slow nod she received from the other.

It was then that Ryou appeared once more to propel the cat-girl back upstairs. He really didn't want to get any more looks from the mews.

It was quite awkward that he couldn't walk by without a pair of eyes drilling into the back of his skull. Quite awkward indeed.

* * *

Ryou kept a close eye on Hitomi for the next couple of days, making sure she didn't make any contact with the mews.

He did, however, take her outside and into the park where the girl watched her surroundings with awe-filled emerald eyes.

For a while she chased butterflies and pounced on imaginary mice in the grass as a little white kitten but she seemed happy enough even then to sit and watch things slid by.

Simply put, it didn't take much to please Hitomi.

But all the same, the next day she slipped into the café, wanting to at least ask one last girl of their opinion on love.

When Hitomi entered the colourful room the first to wonder into her gaze was a forest-coloured waitress sweeping up the remains of some dish or another.

Lettuce noticed the cat girl as she drew near.

"Ah…! Umm…" The two searched for words at the same time. There was a brief pause as the two looked warily at the other then Lettuce smiled,

"Do you… want something?" The waitress asked politely. Making a small noise of agreement Hitomi nodded,

"Yes… what is love?" Hitomi asked softly her jade orbs blinking curiously at the other.

"Eh?" She looked flustered, a sprinkle of pink on her cheeks, "It's…uh. It's when… you want to be near someone, because they make you feel special, needed,"

Hitomi blinked thoughtfully at the girl then smiled happily. Lettuce smiled slightly nervously in reply.

The cat scampered away before the blonde boy could find her again. When Ryou did eventually seek her out, he found her curled up in bed sound asleep.

* * *

Before Hitomi even set foot in the café the next day Ichigo had pounced upon her,

"You haven't spoken to Zakuro yet!" She chirped and placed her before the purple waitress. Emerald orbs blinked in surprise as Ichigo spoke for her,

"She wants to know what love means to you, she's been asking everyone!" The strawberry informed the elder energetically, brown eyes dancing.

Zakuro gave the pair a blank stare, "Love is the slowest form of suicide," She told them bluntly and walked away.

There was a silence. Ichigo turned to the cat girl with a nervous grin, "She… doesn't talk much," The waitress said by way of explanation.

Hitomi cocked her head to one side and blinked curiously. The she grinned brightly and trotted outside, jade eyes sparkling.

* * *

"So this is where you skipped off to," Ryou remarked conversationally, stepping into the small clearing, blue eyes skimming over his surroundings. 

"Yes," Hitomi replied shyly. The cat girl was nestled in the crook of two low branches in an oak tree, knee-high grass brushed the trunk in a breeze.

"Hnn…" The blonde grunted positioning himself just below her, "Come on, time to go," He told her simply, still looking around him.

After a moment or two had passed he looked back up at the cat girl. Hitomi fidgeted nervously and smiled weakly the same way.

"You're stuck," Ryou commented flatly, folding his arms. The cat girl scrunched her shoulders with another smile.

With a sigh the blonde stepped closer towards the tree, "Come on, you're not that high," He urged with an edge of impatience.

She fingered the bark on the trunk and inched slowly off the branch until she was barely sitting on it. Eyeing the ground nervously she pushed off the tree, landing haphazardly in front of the boy.

He grunted in satisfaction and turned, walking away. The cat girl hopped to her feet and hurried after him, a solid smile on her face.

* * *

Wow. Five pages, now if only I could write five pages where something interesting and well-written happens. ((sigh)) Ah woe is the life of a girl with a non-exsistant muse! ...Please leave a review! 


	30. Dreams

Is it just me or does inpiration focus around the bathroom...? Well, anyways I wrote half of this chapter in ELA I honestly think my homeroom tgeacher wants to eat me for un-completed work. I'm sorry this update was slow, but it took a while to piece together and blah. My internet is gonna turn off so I don't have time to blabber! So sorry Berri, no replies...

* * *

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon to rest and the moon was rising steadily through the sky, painted in various hues of red, orange and pink by a delicate hand.

A solid chunk of half the moon had been torn off and the moon mourned its' loss, as its' soft silver blood glided through the air, the wind singing a gentle song of mourning for its' friend.

A trickle of the moons' blood sailed through a window and timidly lit up the room with a pale light. Slowly the moonbeam slithered over the bed and shone on two different shades of blonde hair mingling together.

As the girl who owned the lighter blonde strands stirred restlessly in her sleep, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead, the moon retreated behind a cloud, putting the city back into darkness broken only by streetlamps and car lights.

Emerald eyes snapped open and Hitomi jerked up. The last remains of sleep draining completely from her.

It was the third time in twice as many days that she had dreamed that same dream. And each time it filled her with the same fear and dread, fresh in her body and mind every time.

She drew in a shaky sigh and swallowed the last of her fear. Reaching out a timid hand she gently shook her companion's shoulder,

"Ryou?" She whispered, the boy groaned as he too was pulled from the land of dreams and blinked groggily.

"What?" He slurred, still clinging to the comforts of sleep, trying to rise into a sitting position as she had done.

"Scared," The cat girl breathed, jade orbs blinked; trying to see in the darkness that moon had left them with.

"Oh… did you have a nightmare? It's not real, don't worry, go back to sleep," Ryou told her, slumping back down onto the bed and clothing his azure eyes once more.

There was a brief silence in the dim, plain room as a cautious moonbeam peeked in the window.

"Scared," Hitomi repeated, her voice shook slightly. The blonde boy sat up quicker this time; slowly he reached out a hand until his fingers bushed drops of tears on the cat girl's cheeks.

A tiny, unsure, sob slipped from Hitomi's lips and one hand gripped his forearm as if in worry that he would disappear at any moment.

"It's okay," Ryou said quietly, not knowing anything else to say. There was a small flash of light that almost blinded the boy and left spots behind to dance in his vision as a small white kitten crawled onto his lap.

With a small sigh Ryou lay down slowly, placing the cat gently next to him and he gratefully let sleep take hold of him and whisk him away once more.

When the moon grew too weary to hold itself up anymore and left to sky, the sun rose in its' wake, bathing the city in a warmth it had lacked during the night.

Once again a beam of light flittered through the window, but this one much more curious then the last. Sunlight danced across the room, lighting it up with its' cheerful glow.

As slowly the clutches of sleep released him Ryou opened his eyes gradually and blinked in the sunlight. He groaned at the prospect of getting up and curled up in hopes of more sleep.

To his mild surprise a kitten was huddled near him. He blinked groggily at the cat for a few seconds as his tired mind reminded him of the night before and with a sigh he closed his eyes again.

"Nya?" It seemed like very little time passed before a pink nose was sniffing his face and mewing for him to wake. The blonde sighed and opened his eyes; small emerald orbs say this, "Nya!" The kitten called cheerfully, another sigh from the boy, no going back now.

Starting slowly he went through his small mourning routine until he found himself staring at a newspaper stand. Blinking he picked up a paper and turning he almost tripped over the kitten at his feet, she yowled in offence,

"Sorry," Ryou muttered stepping around her, "Just not used to you as a cat as much now…" The blonde mumbled a small excuse.

But he had time to adjust because for the next two and a half days Hitomi stayed as a cat. Now, Ryou had no problem with this, but he noticed at times that it seemed like she really wanted to pop into human form or got very close to making the change then stopping.

It was… strange, at the least, for as far as he knew, Hitomi enjoyed being a human, whether it was just to annoy him, so others could understand her, Hitomi usually was one.

On the third day when he set out for his newspaper with Hitomi at his heels, the sky was littered with grey clouds and the threat of rain hung thick in the air. Also Ryou noticed that a smoky grey tomcat cleaning itself next to the stand.

As the blonde scanned through a paper a scratchy mew came from the cat, "She your kitten?" The cat blinked yellow eyes up at Ryou.

"Yeah… by ownership," The blonde nodded.

"She's a strange thing," The grey cat continued, Ryou looked over to where the white kitten was chasing a sunbeam across a stonewall.

"How so?" He asked, folding up the paper haphazardly. The cat blinked slowly up at him as if it were obvious,

"Can't yous' tell? She got two lifes livin' in her," The tomcat informed the boy matter-of-factly, his bottlebrush tail twitching restlessly.

"What?" Ryou questioned startled, azure eyes blinking dumbly at the cat. But it was already walking off, grey tail swishing in goodbye.

The fourth day came and went and Sunday was upon them, bringing with it warm days for late fall and boredom heavy in the air. Ryou was lying on his side in his room, watching Hitomi wiggle and roll around in a patch of sunlight.

"Hitomi… are you hiding from something?" The blonde asked slowly and directly. The white kitten slowed to a stop and blinked at him with wide emerald orbs, "You are, aren't you?" Ryou persisted his tone never changing.

A soft, begrudging mew came as a reply, "Hitomi…" The boy sighed. He didn't bother to say anything else and within a minute a small blonde girl sat slumped over on the floor.

"Yes…" Hiromi admitted feebly, staring at the floorboards intently. Ryou couldn't really think of anything else to say without sounding like a parent so he just sat up and patted the girl's blonde head fondly,

"Come on. We'll have some fish," He offered, Hitomi looked up with a wide grin and, abandoning the patch of sun, the girl trotted eagerly after the boy.

Inky blackness surrounded her, almost extinguishing the two tiny dots of light that shone into her eyes from far away.

A low snarl danced through the heavy air and without looking she knew that the shadow was there. Cruelty, hatred and pain hung think in the air, suffocating Hitomi.

The feelings closed in on her so hard she thought her lungs would burst. Steeling herself she dashed several meters away, where the air was slightly less contaminated.

Her breath came out as a strangled gasp. Against her own will her head turned to stare at the shadow.

Crimson eyes stood out sharply against the wavering body, a shadow barely visible among the nothingness.

Her heart leapt up her throat and a gaggle of coughs fought their way out her mouth, the intense feelings of suffering and hatred struck her like a blade, freezing Hitomi to her place.

This time, nothing could save her. Not in this place created in her own mind, no one else would penetrate the walls holding it together.

They both knew that. Red eyes and green eyes spoke similar messages.

She tore her eyes away from the shadow; squeezing them shut tight she scrunched up into herself a small whimper gliding from her lips.

Suddenly the air was clear again, the ache inside her was gone and she felt to need to be afraid.

Slowly emerald eyes cracked open and automatically blinked in the cat-shaped shadow' direction.

The girl was stroking its' head slowly, her form wavering and flickering amidst the nothing.

Jade orbs turned towards her, a smile dancing across her face,

"My name… it's Karame," She informed the cat conversationally, the shadow let out a low growl that echoed and bounced off the clouds of nonexistence.

In two very different places, two very different people woke at the same time for exactly the same reason. Identical fear racing through their beings.

* * *

Wow, ELA is good for description, isn't it? Well gotta go, internet turning off in a minute! Bye, love ya lots! 


	31. Search and Find

Eh... sorry about the wait... I was about to upload this yesterday... then my internet decided to shut off... -.-; Anyways, this is about... four pages I think (I don't really know) And was written almost entirely in english, french, and math instead of actually working... Well, the next update might be slow as well, for all my last-minute projects, (that I was supposed to start a week ago) must actually be done.

Thank you guy so much! Two hundred and four reiews... gosh. Josh! JOSH!! (please...just don't ask...) I hope this chapter is good enough for you!

**Berri**: Nah... my dad just programmed it to turn off around eight... stupid father -.-... Heh, yeah poor girl... I must bake her some muffins someday. Umm... actually, that isn't mentioned in this chapter... Maybe I should toss it in the next one...? I don't believe Karame is bad... or is she...? Thank you!!

**Disclaimer**: Do you really think if I owned this series I'd be altering it outside of the anime or manga? ...Didn't think so.

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the window, a warm cheerful glow that usually coaxed a smile from the cat girl, but not at this moment. 

Hitomi felt… empty. Like suddenly a large chunk of her insides had disappeared. She also felt tired. Hitomi never felt tired in the morning. But today she was, it felt like it took all her might to move her body.

When the blonde walked back into the room to get Hitomi awake he found a peacefully sleeping girl on his bed. He blinked and few times then shrugged; maybe being so awake every morning eventually tired one out.

* * *

Kish squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and then opened them quickly. He forced his breathing to return to normal and tried to calm himself. 

That dream… It had seemed so…real. Like he was standing there and watching it happen, but also like he was too far away to make any impact on the results.

He wasn't quite sure what had been happening, nor what continued to happen after he had woken, because he was sure, the dream had continued on without his presence.

Whether in the mind of another, or alone simply for its' own sake, but he knew he hadn't seen all of that moment in time, or outside it.

Great. Now he was getting a headache, thinking so much about things as confusing as dreams did that to you.

But what Kish was sure of, was that the girl, the one with calm jade eyes and a soft smile, was definitely not okay. He felt as if she was far out of his reach, and he could never reach her again.

And that thought made him feel…lost. He didn't know why, and he wasn't quite sure, but for some reason… he felt alone, lost.

He stood with a sigh, dull golden eyes blinking off the few last strings tying him to sleep.

* * *

As the sun arched high into the cerulean sky and its' beams played tag with puffs of clouds racing across the sky Hitomi trudged down the street. 

Now don't go thinking that Hitomi usually _trudged_. In fact she barely ever moved in such a way to even be _described _as trudging. But yes she was, indeed, trudging at that very moment.

It seemed like she was wearing a suit of armor two sizes to big for her and it weighed down on her every step. She would pause and lean against a wall often when she felt too tired to try lugging her body around.

You may be wondering why she would be trying to go anywhere feeling so tired and heavy, but she almost knew why she felt that way, and almost knew how. Almost.

The unknown piece that was missing itched at her mind, lighting her fire of curiosity and a small wick of irritation within her. So there she was, pulling herself towards a certain location Hitomi knew that She liked.

She. Karame, a girl that seemed so familiar, like a part of her she never acted like and existed solely for its' own sake. But the cat girl knew, there was a reason for that part of her. Although she knew not what that reason was.

Hitomi leaned on a wide store window to catch her breath, watching the busy streets of Tokyo swell with people and cars, the air breathed boiling, sweaty and singed with gasoline.

Her eyes watered slightly and she was thankful her sense of smell wasn't as strong as when she was a cat, Hitomi wasn't sure she'd be able to handle such strong smells then.

She straightened and spotted a small patch of green over a group of buildings and she heaved a sigh of relief; she was close now.

Slipping into the field she took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air. Although fall was on them the grass swayed in a sea of fresh green dotted with bright flowers. A cluster of birds preened their feathers on a nearby tree, calling to each other.

Despite her weariness Hitomi smiled. This place… it was so refreshing, peaceful. Feeling slightly stronger she walked deeper into the small valley, her fingers drifting over petals and long blades of grass as she went.

She had just found a nice place to sit down; a small cushion formed from grass constantly bended over, a neat dent in the middle, when she heard a strange noise behind her.

A single note rippling through the air and a brief echo. Hitomi turned around with a small intake of breath. Floating maybe ten feet above the ground was a scowling Kish.

Gold drilled through Green.

"Where is she?" The olive-haired boy demanded shortly a cool glare on his face. Hitomi blinked,

"What?" She asked nervously, resisting the urge to look away from the pools of gold. But something about them also entranced her, holding her still for a few more moments.

Gold narrowed to slits and he crossed his arms slowly. Truth was, Hitomi didn't want to look away. Those golden eyes were like chains binding her, amazed her. She never wanted them to disappear.

"Where is she?" Kish asked louder, anger evident in his voice but also there was something else. Something not necessarily smaller, but better hidden under layers of frustration.

Suddenly he was no more than a foot away, hovering just as high in the air. His hands gripped her upper-arms tightly,

"Where is she?" He yelled. Hitomi stared at him with wide, emerald eyes. Scared and confused she ripped her gaze from molten gold and squeezed her eyes shut.

Turning her face from his in a pathetic attempt to put some short of distance between them she wished.

She then felt the most peculiar feeling of cold water falling through her body as if it weren't there and then felt her arms being released.

Nervously she pried open her eyes and saw nothing. Kish wasn't there anymore. A small wave of relief and slight disappointment that the gold had disappeared Hitomi sighed.

Then she felt herself being pushed from her body, much like she had before, then being yanked back in, as if on invisible strings. Her being was ripped and yanked back inside her body several more times, causing her stomach to lurch and her head to spin.

Her vision glazed and when she was finally back in her body for more than a few seconds she hurled, gripping her head, then felt faint before being pushed very forcefully from her body one last time.

* * *

When Hitomi woke the sun was low in the faint pink sky. Parallel to the sun the shadow of the moon to come drifted up into the sky. 

The cat girl sat up slowly, cramped muscles protesting their use after so long. Despite that, and the sharp taste of vomit in her mouth and itching at her throat, she felt fine. A dull ache in her head reminded her of a fall she hadn't felt earlier.

Already she could feel her strength returning, admit slowly, trickling gradually into her body and flowing down her limbs. By the time she was standing it felt like most of her energy had been used up.

She paused for rest even more than she had on the way there to return to the café. Sitting on the sidewalk for sometimes even ten minutes until she felt enough energy to walk again.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon to watch the city bustle, the moon becoming more and more clear opposite when Hitomi stopped in front of the café at last.

From inside, the clinking of glasses and thumps of chairs being moved signaled that the mews were cleaning up. Feeling relief that she back Hitomi pushed the door open and slid inside.

Only the pink and yellow waitresses remained in the empty café, they seemed to be almost finished, all the tables were holding chairs turned upside down, those that weren't were shinning clean, reflecting the golden sunset.

For a moment golden eyes replaced the table, then Ichigo spotted her, "Ah! You look so tired!" The strawberry cried out, hovering suddenly by her shoulder. Pudding bounced over excitedly,

"Do you want me to perform my fire-breathing act to cheer you up?" The monkey asked earnestly. Hitomi blinked and smiled faintly.

Accompanied by stomping footsteps Ryou rose up from the basement, running his left hand through his blonde hair. Spotting the cat girl his blue eyes relaxed somewhat.

"You alright?" He asked walking over, "You were out for a long time," He told her simply. Emerald orbs drooped wearily as she looked up at him,

"Sleep now," Hitomi said to the boy. Ryou couldn't help but smile as she tried to blink off the grip of sleep, wavering slightly on her feet.

Shadowed moonbeams drifted throughout the room, pale, ghostly finger trailing over the occupants, dancing in sleeping jade eyes.

Hitomi blinked slowly and yawned, pulling the blankets up higher over her shoulders. She settled down and looked over at the blonde.

One arm crossed over his face, blotching out his eyes. Hitomi tilted her head to one side slightly and with gentle fingers she moved his arm away from his face.

With a faint sigh Ryou shifted slightly in his sleep, faded, incomprehensible, words slided out between his lips, pale in the moonlight.

With a content smile Hitomi huddled up for warmth and the she too was whisked away by sleep, distant dreams not meant to be remembered drifting through her head.

* * *

I hope you liked it! I donated to majority of school-time to writing it, so I hope it was worth the lessons I missed... I realised a while back that I'm far back in seasons, so if I do put in a Christmas chapter, it may be a few weeks late... unless the magical authoress powers kick in... Review please! 


	32. Christmas

Well hello! I'm amazed that I'm actually updating... But I figured, it's Christmas Eve, might as well, eh? So I spent pretty much all of today working on this... and now it's eight pages long. Wow. I think it was the fact that I've been listening to Barenaked Ladies non-stop for like four days now...

But anyways, I can't promise an update within the next week, and if I do, don't be surprised if it seem angsty (I got one sick rat and another near deadly sick rat) So I'm feeling crappy bout it... I only got like five hours of sleep last night... not pleasent, let me tell you that.

Disclaimer: Yeah I own TMM. I also own twelve cows, a flying goat and your mother. -.-

* * *

The sky was a pale grey; the shy morning sun peeked through a curtain of white clouds to look down at the winter land.

"Ryou! Ryou!" An earnest voice crept through the fingers of sleep as, hesitantly, its' grip on him eased away. He then noticed he was being shook like a rattle.

He opened his eyes slowly and blinked up at the ceiling as he swayed in someone's grip. And he was pretty sure who that someone was.

"Hitomi… I'm awake now…" The blonde muttered and he instantly stopped wobbling. A face appeared above his and emerald eyes blinked down at him.

A smile split Hitomi's face in half and she jumped to her feet.

"Come!" She urged, grabbing his sleeve and yanking on it hard, "Come!" She pointed excitedly to the window pulling on his arm harder.

Ryou lurched from bed and shuffled over to the window behind the cat girl who was bouncing happily on her toes.

The boy gazed tiredly over the city and blinked once, slowly, coaxing his mind to awareness as well.

There was a thin blanket of white snow on the ground, shimmering and sparkling in the sun. Soft flakes tumbled down from the clouds slowly, dancing in the wind, postponing their landing as much as they could.

He looked down at Hitomi as she looked in wonder over the snow-covered land, eyes wide. Her jade eyes sparkled and danced almost as much as the snow in nearly contained excitement.

Ryou chuckled at her childish wonder and ruffled her hair, "Come on, we'll eat something then you can play," Her face lit up with so much happiness he had to wonder if she was going to pop.

In the kitchen Hitomi ate as fast as she could, and impatiently waited for Ryou to finish himself. The second his fork dropped down onto his empty plate she yanked him up and pulled him earnestly to the door, barely giving him time to grab a coat.

Outside it seemed even more magical to the cat, as she turned slowly in a circle, watching small puffs of snow tumble down and drift over her skin.

Ryou shrugged into his jacket almost hitting himself for forgetting shoes as his toes went numb, soggy, half-melted snow forming a small pile around his feet.

The breeze picked up slightly, blowing a fistful of snow into his face, making his ears almost burn with cold.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and pulled his fists together, yanking his jacket closer to himself.

He looked up at Hitomi and his thoughts of death from hyperthermia slowed down a bit. The sun was getting braver and gazing down at the girl, beams of sun gracing her pale blonde hair, and lighting up the snowflakes that danced in the air.

She spun and grinned at him so happily it made him feel almost slightly guilty for feeling so crappy about the cold. He looked away and let his eyes shift over the tall buildings that speared the pale sky.

Snow even made the sharp edges of the dark looming structures look softer, covering them in a blanket of sparkling white snow lighting them up with their cool glow.

Something rather hard and very cold hit Ryou in the side of the head and he flinched as it slipped off his skin, leaving a trail of cold, slightly slushy, water.

He turned slowly and gave Hitomi a flat glare. The girl shrugged and grinned guiltily, muffled giggles coming from her direction.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, cut off as yet another snowball smacked into his face, crumbling and falling to the ground, leaving small specks of its' essence behind, that melted slowly.

If looks could kill Hitomi would be long dead by now.

Getting slightly nervous but still fueled by hyper excitement she did the only thing that came to mind. Hitomi threw another snowball at the boy.

Her aim was extremely good for this one too hit the mark perfectly, showering Ryou with the splattered remains of the slightly soggy ball of snow.

He wiped his face off slowly and clenched his fingers around the melting slush in his hand. His gaze didn't waver and he continued to glare at the girl.

She let out a nervous giggle and shrugged once more. Then she fell to the ground, scooped up more snow and proceeded to bombard Ryou with piles of snow.

She never missed.

---------------------------------------------------

When the two re-entered the café Ryou was littered with soggy clumps of snow and quite damp. Quite damp indeed.

Hitomi, on the other hand, was rather dry although her hands were pinking from the cold, as were her feet and ears. But she was grinning all the same, either dimming, or heightening the boy's frustration.

After a long, hot, shower and a change of clothes the pair shuffled down the stair once again, although this time Hitomi seemed to have calmed down a bit but was still smiling.

They entered the café and both had to do a double take.

Although the first shift was still an hour away four of the five mews were scattered about the large airy room that was slowly loosing its' pink tones to green, red and white splattered over the walls.

Lettuce was hidden among a pile of garlands she was attempting to untangle, Pudding bounced along with one end of the tangled mass, tacking it expertly to the top of the walls where they met with the ceiling.

Ichigo was plastering white paper snowflakes the size of dinner plates below the garlands and on the edge of tables as Mint inspected a crate of white plates and bowls in all sizes lined with painted mistletoe.

"Shirogane-san!" Lettuce's voice chirped from the mass of fake greenery on one table, a hand waved out of one side.

Hitomi cocked her head to one side and blinked curiously at the table and Ryou spun to look for a calendar. One was placed conveniently nearby on one of the few walls still clinging to pink.

The calendar read a week and a half to Christmas. So then why were so many decorations already hung?

"We're getting people into the Christmas spirit ahead of time!" Pudding chirped as if in reply to his silent question, skipping by with a line of garland.

Ryou blinked stupidly and shook his head clear as Hitomi prodded him in the arm, "What…?" She asked blankly, confused as to what was going on.

"Oh yeah… Christmas is a celebration we, well, celebrate. You get presents for people and stuff," Ryou explained offhandedly. The cat girl nodded slowly, but her eyes still held confusion.

Before he could even sigh Hitomi was swept up by Ichigo and propelled away from Ryou. The blonde blinked, shrugged and walked down into the basement.

---------------------------------------------------

"At Christmas we celebrate the joy of giving!" Ichigo continued on, eyes sparkling at the thought of the season.

"What are you, a TV ad?" Mint remarked from a table away as she fingered a delicate looking dessert plate with expert hands.

"Stop interrupting!" Ichigo yelled back then turned to the blonde with a smile, "And there are all sorts of traditions… like Christmas trees, foods… oh, and mistletoe…" The strawberry fazed out as some daydream or another entered her mind.

"Mistletoe?" Hitomi directed the one-word question towards the blue waitress who was fingering the pattern on a teacup.

"It's a bundle of leaves you hang from the ceiling, when a couple stops below they have to kiss," She replied without looking up, satisfied that the cup in her hands was perfect she place it down and pointed to the rafters a little to the left of her position, "Like that,"

A twig of green leaves hung from the ceiling, a red bow was tied around one end. Hitomi blinked up at it curiously then at Ichigo, who had long since drifted off into her dreams, a pink tinge to her cheeks.

"Kiss?" She asked Mint again struggling with the foreign word, earning herself a flat stare.

"You're kidding, right?" The waitress asked blandly, staring at her with unemotional brown eyes her hands lying limp on the table, no longer itching to touch the new dishware.

Hitomi cocked her head to one side thoughtfully then blinked and shook her head. Mint blinked slowly then smiled slyly as her fingers found another dish.

"Ask Shirogane," She instructed simply and returned her full attention to the plate in her hand. Ichigo snapped out of her daze and jumped to her feet,

"I got to finish decorating!" She yelped and charged off around the café in a mad rush to make up for the time she had missed.

"Hitomi, come on," Ryou called from the foot of the stairs, the cat perked up and hurried to follow the blonde up to his room, skipping around the walking mound of garland that was Lettuce.

* * *

"Ryou?" A whisper ran through the otherwise silent room, ghostly moonbeams skittering ever which-way.

"Mmm…?" The boy mumbled shifting ever so slightly, not opening his eyes. Hitomi blinked slowly.

"What's kiss?" She asked softly, a large cloud swallowed the moon whole, leaving only the yellow light from streetlamps to light the room.

The blonde boy gave no reply so she peered curiously at his face and poked his shoulder. No reaction, he was completely asleep.

With a sleepy yawn Hitomi followed suit and curled up to sleep.

* * *

Five days later finds Hitomi in the kitchen staring with killer intent at the sweets Keiichiro was in the process of making.

Every once and a while, when she got a break, Ichigo would join her and together they would squeeze food out of the man.

But right now the cat girl was alone in the pursuit of food. Well not completely, Karame seemed to be completely against this, for she was actually speaking up.

"It's not healthy," The girl informed her shadow and cringed slightly as Hitomi received another pastry, "And your stomach is going to hurt," She added.

Hitomi smiled and shrugged as if saying 'oh well' and took a bite out of the sweet food in her hands.

"You'll get fat," Karame persisted crossing her arms over her chest grumpily. Hitomi didn't seem to mind the girls protests echoing in her mind for she continued to munch away.

There was a long pause on Karame's end then in a much softer, more pleading voice came a request, "Hitomi… can I have it for a while?"

Although her question was unclear the cat felt… slightly relieved, that she was asking first. Without another word Hitomi was gently removed from the body as Karame blinked.

Standing Karame trotted out the kitchen door with a brief wave goodbye to the baker. The girl continued out the café and down the streets, following a nearly, but not quite, forgotten path.

---------------------------------------------------

She let out a soft gasp of awe, emitting small puffs of air that hovered in the air. The valley was even more beautiful when decorated with frost and soft snow.

An icy flower waved in greeting as Karame stepped in gently, careful not to shatter any of the fragile beauty that thrived in this place.

"Hello," She called. Kish leapt up and spun around he seemed to twitch at the sight of her. There was a pause then Karame spoke up,

"I wanted… to get you a Christmas gift… but it seemed like a stupid idea…" She said shyly fidgeting slightly.

The alien gazed at her in wonder. She wanted to get him a _gift_? That… that didn't make sense… What had he done… to deserve her kind thoughts?

"So I suppose… Merry Christmas!" She said with a cheerful grin that practically radiated childish innocence. The boy sunk lower to the ground until his toes barely brushed the icy grass.

"Why?" He asked after a moment or two of silence, he didn't bother looking at her; he didn't want to see that… pity.

"Because no one should be alone," Karame replied with a grin that forced her eyes closed, she tilted her head to one side and opened her eyes again, "And I wanted to," She added with a small, kind smile.

He jolted but still didn't look up. Karame shifted as if someone unseen were pulling on her sleeve, "Well… goodbye," She gave a hesitant wave and trotted away.

After a while of sitting unmoving he punched the ground, his fist sinking an inch or two through snow.

"Damnit…"

* * *

It was the day before Christmas Eve when Hitomi remember what she had meant to ask Ryou earlier so when he came up into the café she bounced over.

"What's kiss?" She asked curiously and directly staring blankly up at the blonde. There was a pause, an awkward pause.

"Huh?" Ryou asked dumbly a sprinkle of pink settling on his face. He noticed that the mews were earnestly listening in as they passed with trays of food and empty plates.

"Why don't you show here, Shirogane?" Mint suggested slyly from nearby. Said boy went bright red and stormed upstairs, leaving a Hitomi blinking behind.

"So are you getting him a gift?" Ichigo asked curiously, pausing on her way by with a tray of dirty dishes.

"Huh?" Hitomi looked over, "Ah… no," She replied slowly thinking the question over.

"You should, we're all exchanging gifts!" Pudding chirped hopping by; an armload of the Christmas dishes Mint had taken a liking to in her hands.

"I…should?" Hitomi echoed softly, cocked her head to one side thoughtfully, emerald orbs blinked and she smiled, watching Mint chase the yellow waitress around the café, yelling for her to put the plates down.

* * *

Christmas Eve day came with a light flurry of snow and a warm sun in contrast to the cold air that nipped at people's noses and ears as it passed.

And Ryou was nice enough to let the mews work that day. Isn't he thoughtful?

A seething Ichigo trudged around grumpily; upset she couldn't spend this day with Aoyama. Pudding didn't seem to be bothered at all by it though, and she bounced along cheerfully, making up her Ichigo's bad mood.

The two blondes wandered down as Lettuce dropped one of the decorated plates with an 'eep' looking around fearfully for Mint.

Ryou chuckled slightly at the waitresses' impending doom that was stalking in her direction, tea forgotten in its' saucer.

Lettuce looked up for the source of his laughter and pointed above him, a pink tinge coming to her cheeks.

"Huh?" Ryou muttered blankly staring at the green girl as if she were mad. Hitomi was looking around for the source of the girls' shock.

"Shirogane," Ichigo called, angry mood forgotten, slipping over but stopping a good seven feet away, "Look," She pointed above the two.

Simultaneously they glanced up, Hitomi blinked dumbly and Ryou simply stared. Who the hell would put mistletoe conveniently right there?

"You gotta kiss her!" Pudding exclaimed skipping over grinning cheerfully. Ryou took a step back with a jerk and looked at the cat.

Hitomi blinked in confusion at the boy, her head tilted to one side. He blinked slowly then looked away.

"That's just stupid," He muttered and stomped down into the basement, his form swallowed up by the dim light emitting from it.

Hitomi shrugged and looked over at the mews, "Merry Christmas!"

* * *

Yeah, you might've notice that the writting got crappy towards the end. Well some badly written fic killed my muse. So blame them! (or not) Oh and may I add that this chapter may or may not be completely separate from the rest of this story. Well, happy holidays! 


	33. I'll Be That Girl

Yeah. Another seven-and-a-half page long chapter... and yet again nothign happens -.- I'd like to point out, so as to not confuse people this chapter and the last sort of overlap. If your confused please mention it so I can attempt to un-confuse you (if I don't get confused while reading your questions...)  
Another important clarification: The first section is what happened back in chappie 33 when Kish suddenly 'disspeared' and I think I put it, so I double hope you won't be confuzzled!

Guess what! I got Kingdom Hearts! ...Yeah I know you're going 'don't you mean Kingdom Heart 2?' But I don't... see I'm so behind in video games since my x-box killed (literally) my PS2... but ah well. I'm having fun wasting my life in front of the TV and ignoring vacation projects.

Disclaimer: ((looks around)) Does anyone actually think I own it?

* * *

The expanse of nothing had a grey tinge to it, seas of grey nothing, and there also was a dim pulsing, like the beating of a heart, urging for action, for a need that could not be full-filled. 

The large panther-like shadow stepped in, giant paws falling softly, crimson eyes glitter with slight irritation, sharp among the darkness of its' shape.

It disliked this place. For the small aching need inside it grew so much that it was almost unbearable. The want for something that it could never have, a crave that would never be satisfied.

That was why it had to escape, to get out of it. Even if the outside world was almost suffocating, filled with happy, carefree, people. The ones who would never feel that longing for something so far from their grasp.

But then… Another appeared. Another who did not belong anywhere, not with the dead, and not with the living. She was…alone. So very, very, alone. But she had no ache in her heart, no sorrow in her eyes. Only calm joy filled that child, like a never-ending dream of happiness.

A dream the shadow could never have. That was why. That was exactly why…

Inky black fur bristled uneasily as something quivered in the plain of nothing. Things shifted, stretched, and molded around the shape of two hands, trying to scratch through the walls of nothing.

Scarlet eyes narrowed and its' skin prickled as the shadow-cat took a hesitant step backwards. It could feel it. A want for help, a want for something that was just dancing beyond their fingers.

But this boy… he was straining so hard to reach it, pushing his body and mind to their limits just for the very chance to get the help he needed. That boy… he felt alone. But he knew not of loneliness and the shadow vowed to imprison that soul as well in the never-ending expanse.

"Give her back," A voice stated bluntly. The cat wavered, hovering by a shape on the ground that was slowly losing its' colour to the endless grey, only the growing pools of blood kept their sickly red colour, staining strands of blonde.

The wall of nothing snapped, a ripple blasting trough the expanse, vibrating through the shadow, its' form quivering in response. Pale hands reached out and held the bleeding body on the ground.

A smile slipped across his face and then things shifted again and the two were gone. The aching pulse sped up, longing for something it would never have.

* * *

Every once and a while, when things slowed down and the air grew heavy and felt like it was pressing in on all sides so hard you'd suffocate the two would flee to the roof. 

Up there the wind always played a tune in their hair and caressed their skin lovingly, brushing away the sticky humidness of the indoors.

It was some time after noon, probably four or so, and the sun hung lazily over the skyscrapers, casting an amber glow over their windows and sparkled in the lightly dusted snow.

Hitomi hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, gazing over the landscape as a careful hand painted more and more hues of various colours in.

Clouds tinted a deep pink and light purple glided easily through the blue sky, waving goodnight to all who lay beneath. Her emerald eyes lighted up as a brilliant flash of many colours danced off a pane of glass and Hitomi smiled.

Ryou was leaning back, his palms scraping lightly over the frosty shingles, a wave of goose bumps slithered over his skin as a particularly cool patch of air swept by. It was peaceful, for once, that day.

A lazy Sunday afternoon sort of day, even though it was far from the weekend. The blonde let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes against the breeze. Peaceful.

The murmur of voices, clinking of glasses and sliding chairs wafting up from the café below were like some kind of lullaby, singing him softly to sleep.

The girl beside him slumped over and tipped to the side, her head landed gently on his left shoulder. Hitomi's eyes were closed and her slow, steady breathing tickled the side of his neck.

A smile flittered across his mouth, it seemed that the lullaby got to the cat girl first. His smile faded slightly, though, as the sound of cutlery being moved and people seated stopped and a moment later a small crowd of people trickled out the doors.

Ryou frowned; the café was being closed, only one reason he could think of then for a sudden stop in work. Clarification came trotting through his bedroom door below seconds later as Keiichiro looked for the blonde.

"Up here," The boy called down, the baker stuck his head out the window and smiled somewhat, an I'm-not-going-to-ask look on his face. The serious look in his deep brown eyes, however, told him there was work to do.

Shifting out from under the girl's head Ryou placed Hitomi down on her back and swung back into his room. With a nod to the elder they left.

* * *

Hitomi woke a time later to a chill in the air, the sun had dripped below the horizon, only a patch of orange, yellow and red mingling in the air above its' resting place to leave evidence it had been there at all. 

The cat girl stood slowly, careful not to slip on the icy roof, and stretched her neck to look over the city. Not too far away, in a small patch of trees huddled together, loud smashing could be heard.

The trees swayed like a drunken sailor soon to puke. A black cloud rose from the barren branches and it took a moment for the cat to realize they were birds. They sung frantic songs of alarm as their wings propelled them over the city.

Jade eyes focused on that point, watching for any other sign of movement nervously. After a few moments another form rose from the trees.

She didn't even have to look closer to tell who it was. There was a pang from somewhere inside her, she couldn't exactly pinpoint the location, her chest, gut, head or even her knee; it was impossible to tell where it started.

It was like a ripple, spreading through her body, filling her for a second then gone. She was gently lifted from her body and blinked into calmer green eyes.

Karame gave her a childish grin and gripped her hand, "You aren't going anywhere," She told her kindly, Hitomi relaxed slightly. The girl turned to look again towards the small group of naked trees, their tops tearing at the sky.

She squinted slightly to see more clearly and after a moment a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

As Hitomi slid back into her body, surprised at the small amount of time she had been without it, she heard the sentence Karame had been thinking just before it faded, so she wasn't positive it had been there at all.

_"Thank you,"_

* * *

"And yet another citizen was placed in hospital for mild internal bleeding today, a young girl who is suffering from possibly lung puncture from a rib bone… Bringing the count up to twelve in the past two weeks… In other news…_"_

Ryou stared blankly at the TV as the reporter droned on about some market scam or another, his brain whirling busily inside his skull.

"Ryou?" Said boy blinked and looked over to where Hitomi was staring up at him, her expression read that she was slightly worried and (big surprise) mildly curiously.

The blonde threw her a smile and clicked off the TV, freeing the radio to broadcast its' music in the room without competition from the news station.

Now, there wasn't usually a radio in the basement, and if there was one, buried in the extensive technology that thrived there, it usually wasn't on.

But somehow Hitomi had dug out a radio and after a long while of fiddling with its' dials and buttons she had it working. And after a while longer the two had decided on a station they could both live with (or that Ryou could live with).

And basically the same thing happened with the television, although it took even longer for Hitomi to figure that one out but soon it was plugged in and had a rag-tag set of speakers.

"She takes after you," Keiichiro had laughed, as if Hitomi was some child of Ryou, which she wasn't, in case you were wondering. Definitely not.

And not long after Ryou found out that you could find out what the weather would be like that day, or the one after that, and the two that followed on some TV channels.

Sure he was a genius and all, but honestly who could sort through all the channels, commercials and infomercials? Pretty much anyone who wasn't Ryou.

"Ryou?" Hitomi asked again after a few moments of silence passed that had been accompanied by a song that sounded suspiciously like it was based on drowning.

"Hmmm?" The blonde looked up again with a blink, a halo of pale light from a monitor floated around her pale blonde hair, her emerald orbs standing out sharply in contrast.

He shook his head to clear it, tangling his fingers in his own blonde locks; the other empty hand lay limp in his lap. Hitomi tipped her head to the left, she searched for the words, but they didn't come so she shook her head in turn,

"Nothing…" She murmured sinking lower in the chair she was sitting in backwards, her chin sinking into her folded arms on the back of the chair.

Her pale bangs fell across her face, highlighted by the flickering screens of the various computers, squares of the same blue light danced in her blank eyes.

An ice cube dropped down his gut as the thought rose up through his mind, through ever fiber of his being that resented that one sentence with all of its' being.

"_She looks dead._"

* * *

That night Ryou stayed up longer than the cat girl, which was quite shocking, and should you go out right now and tell someone who knows Ryou very well they'd laugh in your face. 

Tell that to someone who knows both Ryou and Hitomi very well, and you'll get some disbelieving looks and a good round of laughter as if it were the greatest joke they've heard.

I suggest you avoid this, unless you enjoy an uncomfortable awkward situation that is.

Now, if you happen to be someone who doesn't know this coup—_pair_ very well I shall explain it simply to you, so even those thought-impaired readers can be enlightened.

Hitomi doesn't exactly need sleep. She in fact, usually stays up to nearly one, three on some days. If you require further explanation here it is: Karame supports the human side of their forms and Hitomi only contributes very little, for she is only used to supporting a cat body.

Now the main reason Karame isn't very talkative, is pretty much that she sleeps when Hitomi isn't curled up next to Ryou, and whenever she is Karame ensures that no passing out happens.

But this night, while street lamps flickered and cars rushed by and faint sirens could be heard Ryou was wide-awake watching Hitomi breath slowly and easily.

Dead. It had been years since that word sent chills down his spine and made his throat dry up. It had been years since his parent's death had hurt so…very…much…

His fingers clasped tightly around a fist-full of blankets and he gritted his teeth. Never mind that, if he didn't get any sleep no amount of coffee would help the next day.

Actually he had discovered once after pulling an all-nighter that about five and half cups of coffee woke him up, six and a half kept him going.

But forget that, if he thought positively like that he'd figure that sleep wasn't important and then sit around bored for eight to nine hours more every day.

* * *

Karame woke blinking not ten minutes after Ryou had drifted off. She could feel it, that strange little feeling. 

The feeling as the fabric of the place shifted to make room, all that had floated nearby drifted through the hole to take up the empty space on the other side as their seat was taken.

It meant that He was there. Jade eyes closed and she focused really hard to figure out the general location where He had appeared. He was not far from the field, near that bakery if she remembered right.

Easing out of his grip she paused to tuck Ryou in, smiling slightly at her actions, then padded softly out the café, pausing to slip on her shoes, remembering that there was indeed snow on the ground.

The snow crunched softly under her feet as she trotted down the empty streets, enjoying the peaceful silence of the night as she went along, humming an old American nursery song.

She reached an intersection where the lights still rotated through their various colours telling invisible cars whether or not to go.

She stopped on the other side of the road from the figure and blinked, a habit she had picked up from Hitomi and it irked her slightly that she had.

The man hovering several feet above some store filled with suffocating blackness was not Him. That was obvious in the fact that this man was taller, more muscular and had short hair.

But even without the exterior difference _inside_ they were almost complete opposites. He was surer, less lonely and didn't question life nearly as much as the boy Karame knew.

She was walking across the street anyways when he noticed her. He turned an icy look towards her, "Who are you?" Black orbs dared her to lie to him.

"Karame," The blonde girl replied easily the man's expression didn't waver and she added, "I'm a friend of Kish,"

He blinked slowly the words processing in his mind. Hitomi, her image hovering in Karame's mind's eye, was doing the same.

"_He… he's… Pie… wasn't it?_" The cat murmured slowly, her mind shuffling through the dim memory of pain, blank gold eyes and voices with no body.

Karame looked up at the alien as she drew nearer and once she had stopped below him did she realize that he wasn't going to attack her.

In fact he didn't even give her the smallest glance, his gaze focused on the center of the intersection. Neither said a word, it wasn't that they were needed; they just found no want for it.

"Finally," Pai muttered at last and before Karame could blink the pavement exploded, shattered cement blocks flying through the air to make room for a giant, pale fleshy beast to rise up.

While the girl flinched instinctively from both the sound and the effect the boy above her made no movement save open his mouth again to comment,

"What took you so long Tart?" He asked of a figure rising up alongside the long, twisting form rising from the ground.

"I got lost," The younger boy called over floating closer. His singed gold eyes found Karame and widened, "Pai why's there a _human_ here?" He spat out the word as if it stung at his tongue.

"She claims to be a friend of Kish's," The mauve alien responded evenly, watching the creature unwind itself, crumbling a few buildings as it did.

The girl realized with a start that the thing curning in the street was a massive, massive worm-like thing with a gaping mouth full of sheets of sharp teeth and a curled up pale-pink tongue.

"Do worm usually have tongues?" She asked mildly of the two boys nearby. The younger blinked wonderingly while the elder glared at her, daring for her to comment again.

Karame looked down sheepishly, such is the effect of years of practicing your glares out on Kish until perfection is reached.

"The mews should be coming soon," Tart commented with contained excitement, a set of clackers shifting in his twitching fingers, he grinned mischievously.

Sure enough before even five minutes passed the team of brightly coloured girls came charging down the street, Ichigo in the lead.

"Hitomi-san!" Lettuce cried in seeing said girl standing casually below their enemies, brushing her blonde hair out of her face.

Karame smiled and waved slightly in greeting and Ichigo took a step forward, "You leave Hitomi alone!" The strawberry ordered, her pink eyes steady and sure.

"We've done nothing to this human. She came on her own," Pai replied blandly as if stating the obvious. The mews faltered for a second, different looks crossing their faces.

Karame noticed this and looked up at the mauve alien, "I suppose I should be going now," She told him as if there wasn't a group of genetically altered girls, a giant worm that had miraculously sprouted teeth and two boys who were aliens come to take back their planet nearby.

Pai blinked down at her blankly as she trotted across the road towards the mews. Tart floated down lower to Pai's eye-level.

"So she's friends with Kish and the mews?" The little boy asked dumbly, plainly slightly confused. Black eyes narrowed,

"No. She can't be a friend with both sides,"

* * *

Wow. Nothing actually happenes ((looks sheepish)) I guess I should move the story somewhere... _eventually_. Anyways, I hope to write something productive in the next chapter, although I'm not sure what, probably the timeline will be jumping everwhere until things become backwards but ((shrugs)) Oh well... leave a review please! 


	34. You Said Goodbye

Ello! It's been a while, huh? But finally I have this chapter (I guess without ELA to slack off in my muse isn't that useful) And since it's been so long and I have a long review to reply to this is the summary of the past couple of weeks: I listened to Barenaked Ladies. Non-stop. My rat bit me, and I bled all over my two hands. Today I'm eating soggy waffles with peanut butter on top. n.n

**Berri**: I feel your pain, limited internet sucks. I wouldn't be a zombie without sleep, I'd be dead. Thanks!n.n -I try to put in fun scenes, cause I enjoy writing them n.n I don't think Pai'll do anything to bad, well at least not now. THANKS! ((hugs jars))

Disclaimer: I don't own. HA! Take that you stupid lawyers!

* * *

Waking up to the sensation of freezing cold water cascading over your body is not the most pleasant occurrence; you'd know that if you've ever experienced it yourself.

If you haven't, simply imaging being warm tucked under a secure layer of thick blankets that are suddenly ripped off and then freezing water splashed over you and a convenient cold breeze floating through a window that wasn't open earlier.

That was what Ryou woke to the next morning, or afternoon, when he blinked up spluttering he saw Mint and Ichigo positioned above his bed holding a large bucket together that used to contain water.

The second thing he noticed was that he and Hitomi had been cuddling, as the mews put it later. Ryou had sworn an oath to never cuddle in his life (of course he had been six when he did so).

The blonde jerked away from the cat and sat up, wiping off his face, turned to the two mews, "What?" He snapped gathering up his dignity.

"We need to speak with Hitomi," Ichigo replied frustrated, "And you both were out cold!" She added, it didn't take a genius to figure out that they had been trying to wake the two for some time now.

"And you had to wake me too?" The boy yelled back angrily he, and most of the bed, was now completely soaked and he was really, _really_ tired.

"Well sorry for interrupting your cuddle-session," Mint apologized sweetly. Ryou froze, his face getting a nice pink tinged to it.

But he had no stammer out a reply to this comment for Hitomi began to wiggle and murmur in her light sleep, and wrap her arms around his waist, pulling herself towards the last form of heat on the bed.

There was a pause; Ryou's face a bright red, Mint and Ichigo traded sly looks. "Here. Take her." Ryou yanked the cat girl of his torso and shoved the barely awake girl at the mews.

As the two led Hitomi out the door they paused for a moment to throw Ryou a pair of identical looks before closing the door firmly behind them.

Growling, while still the owner of a smatter of pink on his face, Ryou set about cleaning up his bed sheets, sure they'd dry on their own but he needed something to do before heading downstairs for coffee. Lots of coffee.

---------------------------------------------------

"We have a few questions," Zakuro informed the blonde girl flatly after Lettuce had placed some food before her. Hitomi blinked up innocently as if saying 'what?'

"Who are you?" The pomegranate demanded directly, the cat girl blinked once, slowly, then grinned up at the waitress cheerfully.

"She asked you a question," Mint reminded the girl sharply, an in-direct order to answer said question. Hitomi's smile dimmed slightly and she looked thoughtful for a moment.

The she scrunched up her shoulders and giggled softly to herself. Looking up she answered calmly,

"I'm Karame,"

* * *

"Kish… do you know any human girls?" Tart asked suddenly as the olive-haired alien floated past the boy.

Kish paused and looked over at the boy, well of course he knew human girls, they fought with five of them regularly, but since not even Tart was that stupid he was guessing he meant someone else.

"Yeah, why?" Kish answered easily, after considering the question the younger looked up from his bright red clackers,

"Oh, we just met with one," 'We' obviously meaning him and Pai, containing an urge to jump at this comment Kish simply replied,

"Oh really?" As if it didn't matter, which, technically, it didn't. He didn't care what happened to the container. It was the contents that mattered to him.

"Yeah, she was really strange," Tart scratched at his head, "She said something about being a friend of yours," The boy stretched and glided up higher in the air, "Looked just like that human you brought here a while back," He continued with a yawn,

"Wonder how it's still alive…" He mumbled and faded away once more, probably to get some sleep. A corner of his mouth lifted up its' own accord as Kish turned and continued on his original path.

* * *

"So… you're a soul sharing a form with the soul of a cat giving you the power to change back between cat and human?" Ichigo summed up slowly a bewildered look on her face.

"Yup," Karame replied cheerfully, stuffing a piece of a pastry into her mouth. The five looked at her lost in thought until Mint shrugged,

"Sounds believable to me," She commented dryly, sipping her tea calmly. Lettuce nodded hesitantly,

"Yes but that doesn't explain why Karame-san--" She was cut off as the far wall exploded and chunks of motar and small bits of snow flew everywhere.

Floating in the center of the gap in the wall, arm stretched out to one side as if creating a wall, was Kish. He looked up unfazed,

"I need to talk to you… Karame," He said bluntly the blonde girl perked up while Ichigo clenched her fists,

"If that's all you wanted then learn how to knock!" The strawberry yelled angrily, they were going to have to clean up after, she just knew it.

"Ichigo-san… don't you think we should be more concerned about Karame-san?" Lettuce reminded her gently. Ichigo blinked quickly as if saying, 'oh yeah' and then turned to the blonde girl.

Karame smiled, "I'll be fine," She reassured them softly, "I'll come back in one piece,"

"You'd better or Shirogane'll have both out heads and Kish's," Mint said in a somewhat forced calm voice. The blonde wiped away some crumbs on her face with a grin.

"Hurry up," The olive-haired alien snapped impatiently. Karame jumped up, "Yeah," She called back with a smile and hurried across the room, nearly tripping over the remnants of the walls.

He half-hooked his arm around her shoulders when she hopped up, and looking away with a sour expression Kish teleported them away, giving Karame barely anytime to wave goodbye to the mews.

* * *

Kish hadn't spoken in a while now, and we should all take a moment to congratulate him on this while we can. The alien was sitting crossed-legged in mid-air listening.

Simply listening to her words, letting them wash over him like a cool summer breeze, some sinking in deeper though, ringing with truth and understanding.

It was like… it was like she could read him like a book; know his thoughts, his memories and his feelings. And although he figured this should probably make him uncomfortable it was more… comforting than that. He'd never have to endure pity though, because she offered little and he accepted little.

It was like… some un-spoken agreement for her to speak and him to listen then they both could go home happy.

Kish realized that he wasn't even listening to her words right then; just hearing her voice in general seemed enough… He shook his head to clear it and dug his nails into his palms. No.

They were perched up in a tree; Karame nestled in the sturdy embrace of two thick branches while Kish hovered above her.

"Kish… have you ever had one simply goal to strive for… even one you don't completely believe in?" The girl asked distantly, her jade eyes grazing the thick sparkling snow.

"Yeah," The boy mumbled in reply, his eyes locked on the early sunset above the twinkling city lights far away.

"You're so lucky…" Karame murmured, more to herself than him then turned her eyes up to him, "My advice… don't… give up,"

Golden eyes blinked and shifted down to where she again looked out over the snow. Was that… longing in her voice? Sure she could not desire such a want… such a hopeless want.

"Please…" She didn't look up but he could hear it in her voice, "Please don't give up…" That ache in her voice… inside her.

Even though he'd rather sit still and ignore it, Kish found himself sinking down to her level and looking over at her shadowed face.

"Karame…?" The girl jerked up slightly, her gaze fixed down at her lap.

"I'm sorry!" She said quickly, and then relaxed slightly, "I'm sorry. I'm…sorry…" She hunched over tears evident in her voice.

Kish stared at her curled up form slightly disbelieving, what the hell was he supposed to do? He had no words to speak and no idea if he should just stay silent.

But for just a moment he felt a small want to give back some of the kindness she had given him. A small want to just… reach out…

His hand stretched out of its' own accord and his fingers brushed her shoulder gently. To his surprise she flinched away from him with a quiet whimper.

He retracted his hand with a blink. Karame looked up with watery eyes, "Please… can I go now?" It was probably the first request she had ever asked of him and he figured he might as well fulfill it.

Placing his hand on her shoulder they were gone.

* * *

Ichigo and Lettuce had stayed behind after work to make sure Karame was all right and they were waiting to greet her as she stumbled in with tear-filled eyes.

"Karame-san…?" Lettuce murmured softly, looking up from where she was sweeping the floor. The blonde didn't look up but brushed past and hurried upstairs.

She rushed through Ryou's empty room slipped through the window and up onto the frosty roof. It was refreshing to feel the cold winter wind tangle its' fingers in her hair and cool her skin.

She hadn't been up on the roof for very long when someone else scampered up clumsily, nervous of the ice. Ichigo sat down next to her,

"Is there… something you want to talk about?" She asked quietly after another long pause. Karame almost smiled at the girl's kindness but didn't speak for some time.

"I—I'm… so selfish," Karame chocked, jade eyes fixed on her lap while her fingers clung to the fabric of her skirt.

Ichigo blinked then tried a smile, "Why do you think that?" She asked kindly, wanting to help the blonde girl when she looked so… pitiful.

"Because…" Her pale fingers clenched her skirt tighter, "I'm helping him," The strawberry's smile grew slightly,

"That's not selfish," She told the other simply. The blonde opened her hands.

"No, I'm not helping him because he asked for it, I'm not even helping him because he needs it," Karame leaned over, staring down at her palms with wide, jade eyes, "I'm only helping him because it makes me happy. It doesn't even matter what the end result is, as long as I'm happy,"

Tears slid over her hands, dripping freely from her eyes, "A long as I'm happy, that I've made an impact in his life,"

* * *

The last bit was written in class a few weeks back I think... Anyways has anyone heard of Samuri 7? It's wicked. Anyways... donations? Julie took back her guitar case, so... ((shakes tin can)) 


	35. I Said Goodnight

Hello people! It's been a while... Anyways... 224 reviews... holy crap. Well, I'm completely undeserving. In other news-- I was reading Xx-Hazelnut-xX's profile (that was so hard to type x.x) and there was quiz...thingie... and it said to type my name with my nose... so I did! It was nifty n.n;

Anyways, now that the 'important' news is out of the way, I'm sorry that this chapter is short, that it sucky and that my muse died over Christmas so the next update will take a long time because I want to be able to actually write and helping my sister write some random other fic-thingie isn't helping my muse or my eardrums and then ela ain't helping and this happens to be the longest excuse I've ever typed up with no breaks in between and if I were speaking I would be blue by now because I don't often talk very fast and I like potatoes x3 ok, I'm done.

**Disclaimer**: Back lawyers! Back!

* * *

Ichigo could only stay for a while but hours after the strawberry crawled away Karame sat unmoving on the roof, watching the sky shift, filled with grey clouds. 

The first few snowflakes to land on her skin went un-noticed but by the time the sky was filled with light flakes of snow and the air was decidedly freezing Karame had cried herself dry and gently pulled Hitomi back into her body.

The cat flexed her fingers, getting used to the body once more and slid down through the window. Ryou was sitting at his computer, staring blankly at the screen when she came in.

He looked up and blinked, "Hitomi… you're eyes are all swollen. Have you been crying?" He asked in confusion, rising to his feet almost grateful for something to occupy his mind.

The girl raised her hand up to one eye and fingered the swollen skin around her emerald eyes absent-mindedly.

"No…" She murmured quietly, the tears, they weren't hers'. But the grief, it was her burden as much as it was Karame's.

Ryou blinked again, clearly confused as Hitomi rested gently on the bed. Dropping her hand to her lap she looked up and tried to smile, "I'm fine," She was lying. And they both knew it.

Relaxing slightly the blonde boy sat next to her, there was a pause then she gripped the cloth over her heart, "It hurts…here…" She said slowly eyes watery with tears of her own.

He placed one hand over hers', "I know," Ryou said slowly, and she looked up with watery eyes. There was a flash and she disappeared beneath his hand to climb onto his lap as a kitten.

He stroked her fur gently and stared out the window, "It's because of love, isn't it?" He asked softly and there was a pause then he felt her head bob slowly in a nod.

He felt his shoulders sag and looked down at the kitten, his fingers still drifting through her white fur. He wanted to say something more but found no words.

So he settled for sitting there for a few hours until the cat had fallen asleep before climbed onto the roof himself and staring off at the deep red sunset.

He stretched a hand in front of him, barely blocking out the crimson horizon, and stared at it. Why did it ache, ever so slightly inside?

He let his hand drop and find his pocket. The wind slithered through his hair and slid over his skin like a snake. He sighed and turned away, even the wind held no comfort for him that day.

* * *

Days passed, and the two slid back into their daily routine as if nothing happened, Hitomi's smile never seemed to die as if she lived in bliss everyday. It actually made him feel slightly sad that she would choke back tears to simply smile at the world. 

New Year's came and went uneventful, and on a Saturday afternoon, when it was bitter even for winter, Karame slipped away from the café.

She stepped into the field, her foot sinking an inch through thick, frosty snow. Her heart panged at the site of the small valley covered in a snow that killed off the beautiful flowers and tall slim grass.

She passed through the snowy field slowly, letting her fingers drift over the frosty corpses of wildflowers that had once held their head so high. By the time she reached the other side her shoes were damp and the sun was beginning to tire.

She climbed up into a large tree careful of its' slippery branches of half-melted snow and glittering frost. She climbed up into the highest branches and sat there, the warm material of her pale blue dress dampening from the frost on her perch.

She leaned against the trunk and sighed. A flock of bird replied with their own soft song as they soared above, swooping through the grey clouds.

The sun was just beginning to paint the horizon brilliant hues of red, orange, and pink when he came. Stopping over a nearby branch to watch the same sunset with distant golden eyes.

"I want to be perfect…for you," Karame said slowly as the sun seeped into the painting it had made, lighting it up with a new light, "Even though… it hurts to be with you,"

He couldn't act as if these words meant nothing to him, as much as he could refuse not to react to them so he placed a careful hand on her shoulder and sat next to her.

She smiled gently at him and turned back to the dying sun bathed in its' ruby red blood. The sky darkened as a small handful of stars glittered nervously and the moon drifted up slowly, a large orb of bright silver light that almost extinguished the stars.

The sun managed one last ray of its' essence to waver in the air and set one last patch of snow on fire, dancing in deep orange light and shining for all it was worth. Slowly even that small light went out.

The two didn't move, staring out at the dim night shining lightly in the moonlight, a few birds passing by, thin sheets of clouds gliding slowly across the velvet sky.

It was peaceful, sitting in silence and watching the world so few knew pass them by as if they didn't exist. By the time Karame was beginning to doze off the earliest ray of the morning sun was warming her back.

At last words were spoken, "Thank you…" Kish muttered as a lone bird circled above crying its' heart out. The blonde smiled at this, a soft, lingering smile that made her jade eyes dance.

* * *

The large black shadow walked down the street, through the thinning groups of people that were on their way home during twilight. 

None of the people around it saw the looming panther but unconsciously without, even knowing why, people drew back from it, stepping to the side to avoid walking into it.

In the beginning, confused and new to the feeling, the shadow had felt lonely and sad at the realization that all those happy people around it avoided it like the plague.

But as time passed achingly slow loneliness grew into hurt and sadness grew into anger. It began to lash out at those around it, as they sidestepped it unknowingly people collided with others, fell, strayed into the way of cars and died.

There was a feeling of satisfaction that came with watching the humans suffer. But then the need started. A want for this fragile life once more, an ache to be seen, to be heard to leave an impact on the world.

More anger came from this, giving it unstable brief moments of solid form, but they were fleeting moments that brought a greater ache for it.

Anger and hatred wove into its' existence and it fought its' bonds harder and harder, wanting even a day of life again.

But then… She felt none of that. It wanted her to suffer, blinded by anger but at the same time it knew, even if it was small, unrecognized knowledge, that She could help it.

Never. Death was what She'd get. She would be trapped like it, bound by unbreakable chains. And then it would watch as She fought the hopeless battle for freedom.

* * *

Yes. Short, uneventful and... just downright pitiful. I did warn you. Ah well... Thanks to Silver Artic Wolf I have not one but TWO cases to place donations in! A violin case and flute case (you may want to refer to SAW(too lazy to type out your name... hey your new nickname's saw! hee hee!) last review to see which is which-there is a difference and I'm too lazy to type it, but not too lazy to write all this in brakets... my logic is flawed...) So please leave a review, because if you imagine handing in a donation I won't actually know and then doesn't that defeat the purpose? (this is the longest ending note ever(to me)) n.n 


	36. When You Dream

Hello again oh so wonderful readers! I'm not quite sure which inspired this chapter more--Kingdom Hearts, or Blue October. Probably the latter. Anyways, this may seem a bit like... Where this come from? But... ah well, any questions, comments or concerns call the toll-free number! Just press that little purple button down there...

**And Just So You Know**: _'Thoughts'_

**Disclaimer**: ((swings ten-foot pole)) Back foul lawyers! Back!

* * *

He was falling… falling, wind roaring in his ears. Then he landed softly on the ground, surrounded by darkness. He turned and looked around; a figure in the distance fell into view.

He couldn't make out his appearance but the person's skin glowed faintly with a comforting white light. A small bell tinkled somewhere and a girl appeared not far away, her skin glowing brightly.

She started to run for the figure in the distance, her hand out-stretched in a desperate attempt to close the distance between them, frilly dress dancing around her legs.

The girl was soon passing by him and time seemed to slow as she stumbled and eyes widen as she began to tumble slowly to the ground. Instinctively he lunged and caught her, spinning so he'd hit the ground first.

But he didn't hit the ground; instead they fell through water deep and dark, only lit by the soft light coming from the girl in his arms.

Said girl looked up at him and drew closer, closing the distance between their faces quickly. Her closeness would have been suffocating but for some reason it wasn't.

Then there was a brilliant flash of light and her form exploded into thousands of tiny bubbles. He began to sink faster, spiraling towards the bottom as the bubbles sped for the surface.

He didn't feel any lack of air but his head began to pound from the pressure of the water pressing above. He closed his eyes to but a sliver and stared up above him where the faded light grew smaller and smaller.

He landed softly on the ground and opened his eyes. He lay on sand, warm and cushioning, molding beneath his fingers. Somewhere nearby he could hear the gentle lapping of waves. But he couldn't see, he suspected that he was on a beach but he saw nothing.

He heard the soft crunch of sand as someone scrambled to stand and fell a few times then finally found their footing. He could also hear the soft cry of a gull floating high above where nothing could touch it.

The sound was somewhat… soothing. As if for that moment he had no cares… no worries whatsoever.

He heard the crunch of footsteps as the person nearby began to walk in a circle or something to that effect, his footsteps slowly speeding up frantically.

Another bell sounded off, this one deeper than the last and the girl from before appeared, her frilly dress hung in bloody tatters and her matted hair hung in her face in thick clumps that dripped blood.

Her sickly pale skin was smeared with blood and gashes that oozed more crimson liquid. Her dull, lifeless eyes lifted slowly and her mouth moved to form words, more blood trickling from her mouth.

Her eyes rested on him and he felt his insides tighten. "Tell me I'm not alone," She said as if it were an order. As if her life depended on it. A cut across her forehead gurgled out a bubble of blood that dripped down the side of her face.

-----------------------------------------

He jerked awake covered in a thick sweat, gasping for breath. "Guagh!" He choked and tumbled to the ground and vomited, spitting up what seemed like everything he had ever eaten in his entire life.

Coughing with watery eyes he rose weakly, his field of vision spun, dizzy he tumbled down to the ground and landed on his knees.

Coughing some more he lifted handfuls of snow to his face and to rinse out his mouth and sooth his stinging throat. He hacked so hard it made his chest hurt, he fell forward, his hands sinking deep into the snow to stop himself.

Gasping heavily he struggled to rise and found no strength. It was as if someone was pulling his energy from his body; he felt drained.

His stomach gave a lurched as he recalled the girl from his dreams, bleeding heavily with a cloud of death winding around her, empty lifeless eyes…

He spat up stomach liquid as his throat contracted, his vision spun and his head throbbed. A freezing rock tumbled down his gut as he recognized the bleeding girl.

He doubled over, clutching his sides suddenly feeling light-headed her name rung in his head even as he fell down out colder than the snow he landed on.

_'Karame…'_

* * *

He stood in a sea of blackness, alone. All alone. The silence was almost suffocating, pressing in on all sides and vibrating eerily.

He searched for something else there but found nothing, nothing but inky blackness stretching on and on.

Then there was a sound like the tinkle of a small bell and a figure appeared far away, his skin glowing with a dim white light.

The man moved a bit, looking around until his gaze met his own blue one. There was pause then a slightly louder bell sounded and another figure appeared, even farther away but her skin glowed brighter.

Almost immediately she began to run towards him, he could faintly make out her hand stretching out towards him. He could feel her despair and her need for help from him.

He found himself wanting to help her so much it made his heart ache. But he could no longer move, his feet rooted to the ground and he could only watch as she drew even with the other figure and stumbled.

The man next to her dived and caught her but the two sunk through the black ground anyways as if it were water.

He dragged his foot forward, fighting his chains, but it sunk into a thick, molasses like substance. The black stuff flowed slowly up his leg, another like liquid started to claim his other leg.

He yanked hopelessly on his feet; a glob of the substance leaped off his left leg to cling to his shoulder and started to seep over his arm.

Then another bell sounded and the girl appeared in front of him even as inky blackness oozed over his body.

She reached out one hand and he did the same, struggling to grasp her fingers as she did, the same thick black stuff overtaking her form as well.

His vision was beginning to shrink as the essence slid over his face when his fingers reached hers' and gripped them tightly as the thick, glossy liquid dragged them both down.

He opened his eyes quickly and blinked, his face pressed down into the sand. He slowly tried to stand, his vision swimming finally his legs began to work and he rose.

He stood by a body of water, probably an ocean from the look of it, also the sharp smell of salt water was evident in the air was a hint. The gentle waves lapped at his feet in a slow, continuous motion.

He raised his eyes up to the sky and closed them, letting the breeze ruffle his hair fondly. Funny, he'd never seen an ocean so bright and clear before.

Slowly he cracked open his blue eyes to stare at the clear, cerulean sky a sliver of the moon's shadow high in the sky not far from another half moon and an equal distance away a full moon floated.

He closed his eyes once more and realized he couldn't hear anything, the waves made no noise nor did the albatross that circled the sky slowly, it's beak opening in a silent song.

And he couldn't feel, couldn't feel the cool water nipping at his bare toes or the warm sand under his feet.

He turned around as he did so he re-opened his eyes. Behind him… there was nothing. A deep, impenetrable abyss of inky darkness creeping forward slowly towards him with hungry intent.

He spun around to see that the ocean was darkening as well, it's bright colour slowly seeping away to be replaced by a dark nearly black blue. The water shifted faster, it's waves growing and crashing down at the line of sand angrily.

The space where he stood was slowly shrinking, feeding both the darkness and the deep blue water. He stepped in a circled cautiously, looking for a way out before either the furious ocean or the calm, unmoving blackness swallowed him.

"Open your eyes…" A voice rang out; it's echoes bouncing around him in a complex dance, "Open your eyes," The voice said again, clearer, surer than the first time.

He searched for the source of the voice franticly, spinning around, eyes darting everywhere seeking out the owner of those eerie words.

"And tell me… I'm not alone," The last three words where spoken with more confidence and louder, almost an order.

-----------------------------------------

Then, he believed that he woke. Alone, in the dark with only his pounding heart in his ears to tell him that he was, indeed alive.

He struggled to free himself of the clutches of his sheets, only managing to tangle himself further. Eventually he stumbled out of his bed wearily and trudged to the window, throwing it open.

Breathing in the fresh, cool air of winter helped clear his pounding head but it did nothing to re-energize his tired limbs or fill the exhaustion inside him.

He struggled to lean out the window but slipped and almost fell from the window, barely catching himself with weak arms. Bracing himself in the window he craned his neck to look on top of the roof.

A form stood un-moving on it, looking over to the moon, long scarf thrashing in the wind the person turned to look down at him, eyes clear and direct.

"It's coming, get ready. For her sake." The words came from an unseen mouth in the shadowy form of the person, its' hair winding in the wind.

Ryou blinked and the form was gone, slowly he turned to look at the moon. It could've been exhaustion, or he could've still been dreaming but it seemed like three moons hovered in the air.

One half moon, one crescent and a full orb of light held up by clouds gliding by. His legs gave way and he was asleep before he hit the floor.

As sleep threw a warm blanket over his shoulders, easing both his mind and body to rest, his lips formed words lost on their way, as if speaking them would help in some way or another.

"Hitomi…"

_'Please be okay'_

* * *

Heh heh... yeah, I'm lost as for what to do after this... how about... err...

Review please!


	37. Erm Hello

Hello? Anyone there? ((sigh)) Thought not. In case you may have not noticed, I did actually update… on the fourteenth. About fourteen days ago.

…

Umm, am I so horrible you can't bother reviewing? But a gigantic thank you to Moose-Chan and Tomoko Kinomoto (took so long to type that x)..) for reviewing the last chapter… I wanted to update today (actually about a week ago) but I was kinda lacking a couple reviews… Now I do know that the site's e-mail alerts and stuff haven't been working so great (it _kills_! ;;) so that's definitely understandable… it's not like I'm mad or something at you wonderful people (no I'm _not_ sucking up ) it's nice that I got to finish writing this series (see? My muse ain't entirely dead… _yet_) but… well, come on, give me four reviews for this, err, thing, and I'll update or… I suppose discontinue this story. And personally I really, really, don't wanna do that. But I just want four people to at least say that they're reading this… so for the sake of my dying sanity, _pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaseeee_ review. You'll get a cupcake! n.n


	38. Lost

Helloooo my children! ((ignores disturbed looks)) Thank you all for persuading me to update (although that isn't really all that hard). So in reward, here's some awesome news!

Wait for it... wait for it...  
This story is one chapter from completion!  
Okay, personally that ain't good news. But I'll talk about that more later, right now I hafta replying to the un-replyable... wait. ...

**Yasemin**: Heh, you raise some good points, thank you! And I haven't stopped writing, seeeeeee? ((points)) x-)

Oh, at while it's in Hitomi's point-o-view and the name keeps switching back and forth, what's happening is they're each controlling the body... but shifting back and forth really fast... don't ask... .-.-;

Disclaimer: ...Noooooooooooooooo...! My _pole_! ((chases evil lawyers))

* * *

The moon was lost to the pink horizon, its' shadow fading in the wake of the early morning sun as a blast of bright yellow speared the sky, breaking through the soft darkness. 

The air was cool and crisp, as it usually was in the winter, and the snow mirrored the weather, crunching gently under the weight of footsteps and glittering happily at the sky.

Hitomi wandered down the streets unseeing, eyes glazed over and unfocused, she wobbled a bit on her feet and her shoulders sagged in exhaustion.

A small yawn slipped through Karame's lips, it was dawn and an entire night had been spent out walking, she wasn't positive, but there had to be a reason.

As if someone were pulling her on a set of strings she knew not of which way she went, or who it was handling the strings, but she did know that she was very, very tired.

Hitomi rubbed one sleepy jade eye with a wide yawn, shuffling down the road blinking at the very few passerbies', early-morning truck deliveries and cars.

She paused and fell down onto a bench, rubbing her slightly sore calves Karame looked over at the sunrise. The fiery surface of the sun could just be seen peaking over the horizon.

She sniffed dryly, bringing in the scents of gasoline, snow and damp earth. Rising to her feet she stifled a yawn and trudged down the sidewalk. Someone… was calling.

* * *

Kish woke to the uncomfortable feeling of lying in icy snow. Giving a feeble cough he sat up and blinked blearily at a tree. Why had he been sleeping in the snow?

Ah. That was right, he had vomited, evidence lying a foot away in all its revolting stinking glory, and then had proceeded to fall unconscious. It was all coming back now.

He sighed and leaned back against a tree, trying to block out the stench of the puddle of mushy brown, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his head.

There was a dull pounding behind his left ear, which was starting to turn a nice shade of grey from the cold, and was starting to hurt more and more and it felt like his entire body was numb. Which, he reminded himself, it probably was.

He took a deep breath, pulling in a mouthful of cold air that stung at his throat, freezing it over on its' way to his lungs.

He nearly choked on that lungful of air as not only the hangover-like feelings but also the dream he had that night came full-force. His stomach froze over and tightened into a knot.

"Shit," He muttered to himself, he was getting a bad feeling. Like spiders, those strange earthly creatures, were climbing over his skin in their gradual, feather light steps. He closed his eyes against another wave of pain through his head.

He rose shakily to his feet, his frozen, cramped, muscles protesting loudly. His legs nearly gave way and he leaned against the tree. His whole body ached from the cold, his long ears felt like they were on fire.

Moving was not an option that would readily be accepted at this particular moment.

He let out a gust of air and let his shoulders slump. His head was pounding loudly; sharp slashes of pain slicing his skull open again and again.

Wait. He could simply teleport his way around. He didn't need to be in perfect health to do that. With an intake of breath he searched for the strength to do so… and found nothing.

He blinked his golden orbs and resisted the urge to slide down to the ground once more. Find then. He would walk.

* * *

The first thing Ryou noticed when he woke was that his neck was one big cramp. The second thing was that he was crumpled up on the floor like some dejected dead animal. Then he noticed that his window was open and flakes of snow were floating in.

He stumbled to his feet, only to have his legs give out under him, giving his chin the opportunity to slam against the windowsill.

A sickening crack went off in his head as it was set on fire. No, he hadn't broken his jaw, but he _had_ triggered a terrifying headache.

Groaning softly he sunk lower to the ground, shifting away from the small patches of morning sunlight that flittered through the window.

He rubbed his temples in a hopeless attempt to ease the pounding in his head, but the action only managed to bring back the memories of the night before.

He jerked back unconsciously and slammed the back of his head into the wall innocently standing there.

Groaning louder he clutched his head in his hands. Small, fleeting images of the earlier dream would've been welcome but instead the entire thing played like a movie inside his head.

The whole thing had an eerie feeling to it that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up erect. It was all too clear, all too realistic, unlike any other dream he had before.

Also it had a sense of… familiarity to it. Like it had all happened before. No… like it all was going to happen.

But that made no sense. It couldn't be… no.

Ryou tried to stand and was met with wobbly, weak limbs that refused to work properly. But he couldn't let that get in the way, no… Hitomi needed him. He was sure of that.

* * *

The sun had rose into the air, the snow reflecting its' light cheerfully back up into the sky, the streets were full with crowds of people on their way to work, school or even home for night shift workers.

The smell of gasoline hung heavy in the air like a cloud of death leering over the crowds and shifting to get in the way of the sun.

Car horns went off and the hum of voices vibrated alongside them. Hitomi winced and tried not to cover her ears as a truck beeped loudly at its' surroundings.

Her head ached from the noise and thick smell, and her legs panged with every step she took. But Karame walked on, to find that one thing calling out to her, in anger and pain.

The crowd of people, not far from Hitomi, gave a gasp as one and they tried to split in half, each person trying to shove their way to either side of the sidewalk. Some shouted as a woman was shoved off into the street.

A truck horn screeched and the mass of people still trying to get out of the way of an invisible beast swung their heads around as one to stare blindly as the delivery truck swerved to the left one second too late.

There was a sickening crack and a terrifying scream, as blood jumped into the air free of its' container, splattering over the streets.

--------------------------------------

Karame stared wide-eyed unmoving as people rushed passed, calling for ambulances and shielding their young ones from the site splayed over the road.

The blonde didn't dare blink as the pools of blood grew and grew, inching towards people who rushed out of the way, squeezed between two fears.

Slowly the girl's gaze turned to the empty path split right through the throngs of frantic people. A form flickered there, as if too tired to do nothing else.

Hitomi wanted to scream, run, something to get away but Karame stood still, staring straight into ruby eyes that matched the blood spilled over the pavement.

"What do you want?" She asked, barely a whisper her jade eyes still wide, the sight of blood itching at the corner of her vision, begging for attention.

A tail lashed and a young boy skipped out of the way even as he clung to his mother's skirt, yelling for her to tell him what was wrong.

The form flickered and died, not even an echo of its' presence left in the air. Karame closed her eyes, but soon enough they forced their way open and darted over to the body on the road.

The woman's face was frozen in a shriek, mouth hanging open, a trickle of crimson liquid painted down her cheek, brown eyes wide and staring horrified up at the sky.

Her limbs were twisted and stiff, her left leg in particular was almost severed off her body and spilled blood happily.

The truck that had hit her was splattered with dots of blood as if the clouds themselves had rained blood down on it; the bumper was a nice, glossy red.

Hitomi felt sickly, faint and slumped against a brick wall; letting herself slide down to the ground she covered her face with her hands.

Why did this all seem so… familiar? Why was it that she felt like she had seen this before? No… not seen. She had lived this. She had died this way, she had felt the force of a truck slam into her; she had felt her body collapse.

And it hurt, even now to see what others had probably seen of her, a mangled, bloody, body curled up on the street bathed in her own blood.

* * *

Yeah, this wasn't suppose to end there, but... I ended it cause I got bored P anyways, please review so I can upload ((lifts instrument cases)) x-) 


	39. In The End

I'm _baaaack_! After so long... sorry, but the lazy bunny bit me and I haven't been wanting to do much of late... _Anyways_ I'm kinda miffed that I couldn't make it to chapter 40 but what can you do? I might put in a epilogue just to get to a multiple of five. x-)

Before anything else I'd like to thank the uber-nifty people who've been reviewing for so long (Thank you thank you thank you!): Kyorma, Juni-Daklight, Tomoyo Kinomoto (still so hard to type), Xanthera, Moose-Chan, xX-Hazelnut-Xx, Silver Artic Wolf, Kamyra and Berri. And a really big thanks out to those last two for all the long reviews! And to the great number of you who gave me po-ta-toes!  
All of you are really so awesome, dealing with my story like you did!

I shall give you a warning: The begining's kinda... nenhh, but it picks up a tad later on. But I did update! Seeee? ((points out chapter to Shara and Shinju))

**Disclaimer**: I've eaten 1056 wish chips. So far 1055 wishes haven't come true -.-;

* * *

Time passed, and for hours the blonde was crouched there, even long after the paramedics arrived and carted the corrupted body away, the blood still stained the street. 

The sun was in the middle of the sky, obscured by clouds heavy with snow, and the sidewalks had cleared, everyone had already reached their destination and had no intention of leaving.

"_Hitomi, come on. Relax, let me take control for a while,"_ Karame urged gently, a soft voice in the back of the cat's head. The blonde nodded numbly and in a moment she stood.

Karame walked at a quicker pace, slipping around corners and the few people to still populate the roads.

It was sometime in the early afternoon when she finally reached her destination, a darker part of the city, where no one would tread later that day. She didn't feel a call, but a gently hum in the air forbidding her to leave.

Hitomi took a calming breath; it was easier now that she was away from all the blood and death. She almost smiled in relief and took the few steps to the center of the square where a large sakura tree stood tall, bare branches raking the sky.

* * *

Kish sighed and leaned back on a wall; breathing heavily he placed one hand to his throat burning with cold. 

His head was pounding heavily and his body was telling him it just wanted to sleep. For a very, very long time.

But his skin was warmer, despite the wind that whistled down the streets, his eyes he could barely hold open, his eyelids drooping heavily wishing for sleep.

With a lurch the alien shoved himself off the wall and trudged in the direction a young blonde girl had gone in not long ago.

His stomach ached, as if wanting to reject its' contents some more, only to find there was nothing left in it, and was now demanding food to vomit up.

It was really quite irritating.

* * *

Not too far from the alien boy, Ryou was gasping for breath, both his legs were wobbly and weak, threatening to give out from under him at any time. 

He paused to grip a light post, fingering his throbbing temple carefully. Every noise sounded loud, and drummed on his skull.

The blonde sighed and looked around, the streets were nearly empty; it was just past lunch and everyone was back at work or wherever already.

He wasn't quite sure where to go, and had spent quite a few hours simply trying to find a direction to go in, the fact that he had barely any energy wasn't contributing much to his efforts as well.

* * *

Hitomi stepped up to the sakura tree, fingers drifting down its' pale bark, catching on the edges of it. Her hand was trembling slightly by the time it was sliding gently off the tree. 

She looked up at the branches formed into a halo around the trunk, matching the sky perfectly in colour tone, its' pale bark on the blue sky lightly dusted with white clouds gliding by on gentle currents of air.

It had to be the biggest cherry tree either of the two girls had seen; it's branches big enough to support someone of lightweight but the highest limbs were delicate and slender, blending into the air.

The blonde girl inspected the hand that had just been removed from the tree; her skin tingled ever so slightly, the aftermath of the friction between the two.

Emerald orbs blinked as she noticed three paper-thin lines of pink tinted skin ranging across her palm. "Nya?" The cat murmured blankly, a silent question as to why she had the mark.

Karame peeked through their shared eyes, living Hitomi's life for a mere moment_, "Ah… That was from a while back,"_ The girl replied, her voice echoing softly inside their head.

Hitomi blinked in confusion at her left hand, trying to remember at what point she had scraped her hand badly enough to receive a light, dusted scar.

"_When I first met Kisshu…"_ Karame's voice was but a whisper, rolling over the cat's thoughts and filling her mind with the soft words, filled with strange, unfamiliar warmth.

Hitomi tore her gaze away from her palm, giving up on thinking about it and instead took a step towards the cherry tree. With a soft grunt she pulled herself up onto the lowest branch.

Soon she had found a nook created between two interlacing branches and after much fidgeting she was comfortable, strewn over the branches, head lolling back hanging loosely off her neck to stare up at the sky.

The two sighed simultaneously; everything was so peaceful. The sunlight faded behind a dusty grey cloud, filtering though the thinning patches of the condensed water to stream down in patches.

She was happy.

_She_ was _happy_….

… … **Happy **… …

A loud, rumbling growl, nearly a roar, vibrated through the air and there was a crack as something broke, something invisible and fragile.

It shattered, the broken remains tumbling down, shimmering and fading. This something, it was not meant to be broken, and it would not break for anyone. _Anyone_.

Stranding ten meters from the cheery tree where Hitomi had jerked up rather painfully at the noise was the large panther shadow.

Its red eyes were either brighter, or darker but all the same even more so than normal. The blackness of its' shape swallowed the light, casting a pitch-black halo of death around it.

Hitomi was snatched up in the tree limbs as she tried to free herself from its' gentle grasp skin scraped against bark and more than one miniscule cut opened on her body to stand out red on her pale skin.

She tumbled haphazardly from the sakura tree to land in the slightly hard mound of mulch that had been heaped around its' base to keep the tree happy.

The shadow squared off, head lowering slightly to glare fiercely up slightly at the blonde girl, blood red eyes glittering dangerously.

Hitomi took a hesitant step back, her stomach giving a small lurch as her foot fell a few more inches than expected and her heel slid off the wooden planks that made the box around the sakura tree.

A chorus of murmuring voices flittered through the air, a soft symphony of the thoughts of feelings of those long dead humming in the air. The voices slowly grew louder, angrier, more desperate, as they became a roar in the girl's ears.

The people were screaming, screaming in hate, anger, and sorrow, rose their voices to be heard over others, blaring so loud Hitomi could feel her bones humming and her ears pounding, threatening to break off her head.

The cat whimpered, clapping her hands over her ears did nothing to soften the noise, if anything it grew greater, shrieking for help, shrieking to be heard.

Tears of pain pricked at her emerald eyes, blurring her vision as the first slicing knife of a headache cracked her skull in half. One final, hideously loud screeching scream finished it off, filled with the wordless thoughts of everyone… of everything…

The shadow screamed along, its' voice wavering in the air sending chills down her spine as it sung of mournful loss. A loss she would never come to understand, but knew all too well.

With that last, lingering note of regret hanging heavily in the air the inky black panther no longer a shadow launched towards her.

Things went too fast, or perhaps she was simply going too slowly.

But her mind raced, reasons before so blurred became clear as in that one instant it felt like a fog had been raised from her mind. It was so simple, why hadn't she figured it out before? Maybe it was because things would be too easy, and life was never easy.

But then again, she wasn't alive now, was she?

A set of glittering claws stood out on the black fur, the black eyes were so close and so bright as it leapt as to get better aim.

Karame gathered up everything she wasn't and _pulled_.

* * *

She could feel a sickening crack inside her mind as everything that held them together broke. Everything last string and thought snapped in half. 

And they screamed.

Time seemed to slow, or maybe it sped up and left them in the dust as the shadow landed to the right of the form when she doubled over, eyes wide as she slowly responded to gravity's call.

They screamed as every cell in their bodies was filled with fiery pain. A very faint ghostly pale figure slid out of the girls' body.

The shadow disappeared, the broken wall repaired itself and not too far away the busy sounds of city life floated in on a breeze. Despite it all, the world kept turning, people kept going and nothing changed.

Was this… was this the real impact death had on the world?

* * *

"I'm sorry…" Karame whispered. The two stood facing each other in the middle of a great expanse of white. Hitomi smiled. 

"It's okay," The cat replied brushing a stray strand of blonde hair from her eyes, "I have my light nearby so I'll be fine,"

Karame started with a blink. She had, hadn't she? Found the one person who glowed so brightly for her and simply made her happy to be near…

"And you have your light too!" Hitomi added, smiling childishly at her reflection. Her head jerked up and Karame opened her mouth slightly.

Did… did she really?

With a soft sigh the blonde girl relaxed and smiled in her gentle lingering way, "Goodbye Hitomi, I won't forget," Karame said, jade eyes soft and kind.

"Goodbye!" Hitomi chirped, a grin splitting her face in half. The two flew backwards, farther from each other and as they exited the world the very last string was severed.

* * *

Suddenly he could stand, and breathe properly and stumbled around a corner from the sudden change. Ryou wiped sweat off his brow and brushed his hair out of his eyes. 

His legs nearly gave out from under him when he tried to move so he leaned back against the wall for a moment longer.

How long had it been? Three, four hours? It was hard to tell time when all he was focused on was moving one foot in front of the other, but now he suspected it was sometime past noon as the sun was dipping lower in the sky.

He blinked slowly to clear his head as in the farthest reaches of his mind he heard a scream.

Ice cubes slid down his spine and the hairs that dotted the back of his neck straightened, as if trying to rip themselves out of his skin. He spun and stared down a thin road, barely even that, winding in between two tall office buildings.

A couple parked cars stood against the walls, heaps of snow piled on the window shields made it hard not to think that the owners hadn't been by in a while.

A breeze drifted his way, carrying with it a few stray snowflakes not yet to settle on the ground and a single rose coloured sakura petal.

He stiffened slightly and reached out the snatch the petal. The breeze happily carried it into his palm. Ryou rubbed the petal in between his fingers; soft with a nearly rubbery texture…

Wait, sakura trees didn't bloom in the winter…

It only took seconds for the blonde to pocket the petal and sprint down the small path and turn a corner to reveal a small courtyard lined with small apartments, and slightly run-down office buildings.

Another, more obvious road, led in on the right side of the square. In the middle of the space stood a tall sakura tree full in bloom, pink petals fluttering in a curious wind.

Not twenty feet from the sakura tree lay a crumpled up form strew across the snow. Something tightened in his chest and Ryou hurried to the person.

Even as his footfalls crunched quietly in the snow there was a soft noise that scratched on the edges of his conscious. As the blonde drew even with the girl lying lifelessly in the snow Kish fell down nearby.

The alien stared for a moment at the girl then spun around, golden eyes frantic. The blonde was too worried with the condition of the small blonde girl to care about the other and he dropped to his knees beside the girl.

Anxiously he checked for a pulse, her skin painfully cold under his. "Karame!" Kish yelled, spinning in all directions, "Karame!" His voice became strained; perhaps he was drained as well?

A tidal wave of relief washed over Ryou's body when he did indeed find a faint pulse. Lifting up the girl's head slightly he stared blankly at her face. So peaceful and serene…

"**Karame**!" His voice cracked with worry, tears, or loss of voice, it was impossible to tell and frankly Ryou didn't give a shit what was wrong with the alien at the moment.

…Wait. Karame, why was that name familiar? Someone, preferably a certain mew, hit him over the head with mallet as the information finally processed.

"Hitomi…?" He whispered to the pale, cold form in his arms. Her eyelids barely fluttered, "You can't—you can't live this way right now. Why don't… why don't you… rest?" He said louder, blue eyes glossing over.

"**No**!" Kish rounded on the blonde boy, golden eyes painfully wide. He stalked over and kicked the boy fiercely in the ribs, sending the human sprawling back a few feet.

"Change back!" The alien lifted Hitomi by the front of her dress, "_Do you hear me_? Change back!" The cat girls eyes fluttered open for a fraction of a second then there was a blast of soft light and she flumped to the ground as a white kitten.

Ryou panted, regaining his breath after it had been forced out, he blinked up blurrily at Kish who was standing over the cat, staring down blankly. His lips formed her name one more time, his eyes regaining their pure golden colour.

"Ny—ah?" A weak mew came from the white kitten. Ryou nearly cried with joy when the kitten struggled to stand and almost made it.

Kish blinked slowly, bringing his attention back to where he was. He blinked again and turned towards the sakura tree. His lips parted a moment before he dared to speak, "Karame…?"

"I can help you," She whispered the truth, and they both knew it. The shadow was wavering, it small existence on the brink of disappearing.

* * *

"You selfish girl," The cat spat, a growl accompanying the words, "Only now do you offer help!" 

She dipped her head, emerald eyes faltering. "Yes, you're right. But, but now… when you are on the verge of disappearing, will you decline my offer?"

The shadow growled, "No. But I won't follow you like that child," The cat growled, even as its' shadow colour began to fade, red eyes glittering dangerously.

Karame looked up, jade eyes steady, "I know."

* * *

Ryou had decided to carry Hitomi down to an animal clinic; to be sure that the constant strain on her body hadn't injured her in any way. 

The blonde was relieved to hear that the cat was in perfect health. The mews, just finishing up their work at the café were surprised to see a cat with Ryou, and not her human counterpart.

"Shirogane, what's up with Hitomi?" Ichigo inquired curiously, looking up from the table she was wiping down. The blonde looked down at the kitten curled up in his arms for a moment.

Then he fixed the strawberry with a steady, blank look and walked past up to his room. "Shirogane-san…?" Lettuce questioned the stairway. It didn't give a satisfactory answer.

* * *

Kish shoved opened the tall, solid wood door and peered through the dimly lit church. The stain glass windows cast spots of various colours across the floor, very faintly lighting up the figure curled up on the floor. 

"Karame," The name came out with a heavy sigh of relief he took a few steps towards her before a sharp command stopped him,

"No!" A weak voice came from the girl kneeling on the ground; she barely held back a sob. The alien froze, golden eyes scanning the girl.

Her face was hidden in her knees, her arms firmly wrapped around her legs, hair sprayed out over her shoulders. After a moment he took another step towards her, "Karame…"

"No," She choked out to her knees, "Not anymore," Her shoulders shook in a handful of hiccups and sobs. His golden eyes were filled with confusion and just maybe concern.

He blinked when he realized that her hair wasn't a shade of pale blonde, but light brown, dusted with thin strands of darker brown.

He crouched in front of her and placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder, the other flittering down to lift her chin.

"No!" She yanked her face from his hand but not before he caught a glimpse of her eyes. A sob escaped her lips, her cheek pressed to the side of her shoulder she refused to open her eyes.

With a deep breath she turned to him, hazel eyes watery with barely held back tears, "I don't have my voice anymore!" She cried, eyes filled with weakness and regret.

He jerked back, with a small sharp intake of breath, golden eyes widening. There was a pause then he relaxed, "That doesn't matter," He told her.

"Yes it does! You're lying, I know it!" Karame cried back.

Maybe. Maybe not.

"No I'm not," Kish, replied evenly, a hint of irritation drifting along with the words. "Yes you are!" Karame cried, tears spilling from her eyes freely.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a rough embrace, closing his eyes very slowly he spoke, "You're safe," His voice grew softer until it was barely a whisper.

Karame drew in a shaky breath of air, bringing with it a small smell of his scent. Simultaneously they leaned back, Kish looked at her for a moment then closed the distance between them.

Her hazel eyes widened slightly at the gesture then relaxed in his arms. Maybe he wasn't lying. Did he maybe, just maybe, love her, but not for those words she spoke?

He drew back the slightest bit, his breath still tingling her lips. He looked into her eyes and smirked in his greatest wise-ass way, even as he leaned in again.

And Karame forgot all else but the feeling of his lips on hers'.

She didn't notice that he had hesitated to touch her. Almost…afraid to do so.

* * *

((Jumps to hide behind xX-Hazelnut-Xx's pickle)) Yes, yes I know this isn't much of a satisfying ending! Actually it kinda sucks. Eh heh heh ((sweat drops)) 

Look on the bright side! There will (**hopefully**) be a sequal, there's proof on my profile page, honest, there is! I'll probably get around to uploading that story in like... a month, cause I really have to contribute to the Sakura/Itachi community I joined a while back. Also, I have to...ermm...do something else...earth... shattering... Heh heh...

Anyways, if you have any huge questions/complaints/threats please get them out of your system so I can atempt to help you.

I suppose this is goodbye... I really hope to see all you wonderful reviewers in the future, and I'd _really _like to read some of your stories too! n.n

**BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!**


	40. A messed up Epilogue

So... how have you all been? I know it's been like... forever since I did anything on ff net, but here I am! I finally decided I'd bother to do another series, so I hope all you wonderful people will review it!

Think of this as a...erm, warning, that I'm going to make a series, so I present you with a messed up epilogue! Enjoy.

**Edit**: Finally I put up the sequal-ish thing to this just look for _I'll Stay_ (probably the crappiest title ever).

**Disclaimer**: ...wait, what?

* * *

If there was a god, he must be an artist.

That thought hovered outside of her mind, a small realization of hers' as her hazel eyes grazed the twilight sky. Hues of light purple, pink and blue had been stroked across the sky dotted with flicks of red, orange and yellow, a reminder of the sunset.

Karame stood in front of the sakura tree, tracing the lines of the pale bark with her fingertips. It had been several days, but still the unyielding tree had yet surrendered its' cherry blossoms to the cold, bitter breath of winter.

She looked up curiously at the pale branches blending into the violet sky, under camouflage of its' rosy petals. "What is it?"

She jumped at the voice, she hadn't heard him coming, she couldn't anymore, but yet he could always find her, like she carried around a heavy gong she struck every few seconds.

"I was just wondering…" She looked over her shoulder at him floating a few feet off the ground as if the thought of touching earthly soil was revolting, "Why this tree bloomed,"

Kish shrugged and crossed his arms behind his head, reclining on an invisible cushion of air, "Ah, who knows?" He waved off her question offhandedly, closing his eyes against the glare of the dying sun.

She turned back to watch the sky merge into flaming hues; splatters of the sun's blood splayed over the pale sky. "Do you think, it's my fault?" Karame asked after a pause.

"Eh? How could it be your fault?" He demanded blankly from behind her. She didn't react; instead she swooped down to the hard dirt pilled around the tree and traced a tentative finger over the soil.

"What are you doing?" The alien asked curiously, drifting forwards a couple feet; Karame spun and stared over her shoulder at him,

"Ah—nothing," She stood and faced him, smiling she flicked her coffee bangs from her eyes. Kish blinked in a 'yeah, okay then' way as the brunette led the way out of the square, starting up a new conversation, her light voice dancing in the evening air.

He followed her from a few feet above the ground, listening with half an ear he looked to the base of the sakura tree. He jolted slightly at the sight then blinked slowly to clear his mind and followed the human through the thinning alleyway dim in the bleeding sunlight.

Crowded around the base of the tree's trunk grew a cluster of bright flowers shifting in the breeze, blades of long thin grass spinning along in their little melody, a couple pink petals danced through the air in time as the sakura tree's branches rustled in the wind.

* * *

Far away the sun plummeted below the earth's surface, the velvet blanket of night easing over the opposite horizon covering the dimming blue sky to keep it warm.

A few last minute snowflakes slithered on currents of air slowly tumbling to the ground to join the rest piling in small mounds on street corners or clumped around the bases of trees.

Winter was ending, and the snow was melting.

Somewhere, he couldn't remember where, Ryou had heard or read the exchange, 'what happens to the snow when it melts?' 'It becomes spring!'

It was a horribly optimistic look on the matter, so of course if anyone bothered to walk over to Ryou and ask 'what happens to snow when it melts?' without skipping a beat he'd reply 'it becomes water'.

-x-

He was standing in the square where Hitomi had nearly died. He'd only been there once, and even then he hadn't paid any attention to the make-up of the place, but immediately he knew where he was.

As if in response to his thoughts a cherry tree's outline slowly formed a few meters away. Its branches were heavy with armloads of petals and vaguely he was wondering why it hadn't wilted yet.

Slowly what little colour in his surroundings seeped away and at the same time the cherry tree claimed its' own paints gradually, as if soaking up everything else's colour.

The tree stopped sponging up all its' surrounding colours when the buildings were a washed out grey blue shade and the snow was tainted blue as well.

The sakura petals looked as if they'd been painted by a delicate brush with a shade of pink watercolour paint and shifted anxiously against each other.

Hitomi was standing in front of the tree with her back to him, blonde head lifted as she looked up at the halo of cherry petals sharp even in their washed-out state against the dark sky.

She shifted slightly and turned her head a bit to look just over her shoulder at him. She moved her head away for a moment, hands hanging limp at her sides, then she turned all the way around.

Her faded emerald eyes sparkled in a smile matching the one curling her lips and closed her eyes, still smiling.

For a moment it seemed like her hair was getting dirtier, becoming a darker colour, and for a split second the air around her head grew darker and looked heavier.

Her smile turned sour and her eyelids crushed down on her eyes harder.

Then she re-opened her eyes with a fresh smile and was back to normal. She held out a hand still smiling, a wind prodded the sakura tree, picking up a whirlwind of petals that spun around the tree gleefully.

Hitomi grinned and a burst of colour came back to the square. The sky was a bright blue, and all the buildings were squares of orange, brown, green and blue, smiling at each other.

The colours hurt his eyes and started a headache that throbbed behind his eyes. He clutched his forehead to ease the pain and looked up at Hitomi through his fingers.

Her smile faded slightly in disappointment and she mouthed something along the lines of 'why won't you play?' she turned away a little and her mouth formed words he could read easily,

'No matter, Karame will play with me,'

She turned her back to him and suddenly a large black cloud exploded around her head and drooped to the ground, covering all of her form save for her shins and a little bit of her left arm.

Ryou stared for a moment before his stomach groaned and its' contents swarm nervously. He took in a deep breath that soothed his stomach, but the air was heavy and weighed in his lungs.

In the distance he could hear a young child's voice chanting in a singsong way happily:

"She cannot breathe breathe breathe," 

"Huh?" He muttered under his breath and squinted through the blinding bright colours to search out Hitomi.

But she was gone, dark cloud and all.

* * *

Did that make any sense to you? Hopefully yes... Anyways, there's something completely different from anything I've done up, a random Kingdom Heart fic I'm doing with my sister.If you know anything about the game, you could read it, you don't really have to know much cause we've basically slaughtered it anyways. Just look under Love Physco if you care, besides, it's her first fic and all...Thanks again! 


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